Former NZ First candidate jailed for fraud
David Stevenson has been jailed for two years and three months for stealing over $210,000 from vulnerable clients.
Stevenson was one of those self appointed Elliot Splitzer types – holier than thou. He campaigned against higher salaries and pensions for Judges and MPs, and then stole money to increase his own salary. He stood for NZ First in 1993 I think.
Incidentally in looking through candidate lists, I notice another former NZ First candidate is a Chris Comeskey – presumably the same one who was involved in gettig the war medals returned.
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Tags: Chris Comeskey, David Stevenson, hypocrisy, Winston First
March 15th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Unlucky bastard
If he had made it to parliament he could have gotten away with $800,000
March 15th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Well, like I said before when you compare the Party Principles with how they acted over the cash and the EFA, the whole party should be banged up for fraud.
PS why has the press and blogoshpere gone all quiet about where WInston got his ‘cash for starship’ after pooh-bears little hissy-fit two weeks ago. Is that all it takes to still investigative journalism in NZ, a bit of a telling off?
March 15th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Here’s an appalling story from the “Herald” about somebody who should also go to jail:
“A woman who allegedly left her 2-year-old daughter to wander the streets naked with her 10-year-old cousin while she drank in a pub will not be charged.
The children had to knock on a stranger’s door to ask for a ride to their grandmother’s home. Detective Sergeant Andy Bu Bear, said: “We will be working closely with Child, Youth and Family to ensure the future safety and care of the children at the address.”
March 15th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
David Stevenson is a friend of mine. Your assessment is overly harsh, DPF. David Stevenson was, until this incident, a person of some courage. Not only did he stand up to judges (a dangerous thing for anyone to do, let alone a lawyer in regular contact with them) and in so doing result in a substantial saving to the taxpayer, but in 1996 he was the first candidate to resign from NZ First and expose the deceit of the electorate planned by Winston and particularly Michael Laws. It was his speaking out that set off the chain of events that included my own parting of the ways and those of several other people.
That in turn led to a great deal of media attention which helped drop the party’s vote from almost 30% to 13% by polling day. Considering the bunch of (mainly) no-hopers who nonetheless road Winston’s coat-tails into Parliament – and into Ministerial positions – even at that relatively low level of support Stevenson performed a service of incalculable value.
I know without doubt that David Stevenson’s desire to be elected to Parliament was motivated by a very real desire to improve NZ for everyone. That subsequent to these events the fact he was depressed by seeing other people of less intelligence and promise sitting in Parliament frittering away the opportunity given them – their contribution amounting to notoriety for giving the finger in the debating chamber, for instance – surprises me not the least. I know just how he feels.
The irony of Stevenson’s fall from grace is that it’s cause – that depression and the consequent feeling of hopelessness – had at its root an absolute selflessness but led to acts of selfishness.
It’s easy to criticise someone who’s done wrong. But some compassion and understanding wouldn’t go amiss either. How many of us haven’t tried to make ourselves feel better by spending money, knowing that ultimately it will be ineffective but having no other solution? Certainly anyone who’s ever suffered from clinical depression will know the feeling. The tragedy for Stevenson – and those whose money he took – was that his subsuming of that depression led to his taking other people’s money.
That demands punishment, of course, but also understanding… and an acknowledgement that this is an intrinsically good man who has stumbled, not a bad one who’s displayed an underlying hypocrisy.
March 15th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Wasn’t he more against “double dipping” than higher salaries per se ? However his peculations into his clients trust funds are simple greed, and foolishness. He didn’t even attempt to conceal them and confessed the moment the law society announced a routine audit. Something not right in his head I suspect.
March 15th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Why do they do it????
In mid 1970′s a Stipendary Magistrate (now called District Court Judge) was jailed for 6 months for perjury (or similar) to try and obtain custody (now called day to day care) of children – as the CJ at the time said “You know perfectly well the penalty for this”.
Then in the early 1980′s a partner in a large Wellington law firm ‘lifted’ $100,000 or so out of an overseas client’s trust account. For some oddball reason which surprised me he did not go to jail. The other partners promptly reimbursed the account and he presumably must have sold up or something to replace it.
Then another lawyer was on the fiddle and got his dentist brother into a spot of bother (as a loan guarantor), the latter suddenly sold his practice and took off to Queensland – perhaps he suffered because of the publicity surronding his brother..
I do wonder whether the Law Society has been too lenient with lawyers who are found not to be fulfilling their professional duties with respect to trust monies.
There was the lawyer who was not struck off because the relevant committee sat with four, and 5 votes are needed for a strike-off. The High Court struck him off despite his argument that ‘modify’ means reduce, but not increase.
March 15th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Winston First also had that Delamere fella on board – now he has also been in it right up to the tide mark around his neck.
March 15th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Except that the SFO was unsuccessful at nailing Turiki on the immigration ‘Revolving Credit’ scam (if there was still a Social Credit party, Turiki could get a high list ranking on the basis of this). It seemed to me that they could not ‘sheet home’ each aspect of the scam to him. Now he is making life miserable for the Immigration people, and now, Air New Zealand.
March 16th, 2008 at 8:22 am
“an intrinsically good man who has stumbled”.
Come off it. It is always, always, some older lawyer in their fifties who is stealing or lying or cheating. They destroy the image of the profession and then they get slapped over the wrist with a wet bus ticket. I have had friends with clinical depression – none of them have stolen as a result.
Two years and three months for stealing $210,000. Pathetic. He should have been put in jail for a lot longer.
A lawyer is supposed to be a most trusted adviser. Supposed to prefer the interests of the client to all others except the court’s interest and the guiding principle of honesty.
Peter WN writes “I do wonder whether the Law Society has been too lenient with lawyers who are found not to be fulfilling their professional duties with respect to trust monies.”
My experience has been that when a lawyer, almost always an older male in his fifties, gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar his peers will nod their heads and say that there was always something untrustworthy or “off” about him and frequently these sorts of noises or comments have been made for years before the event that sees the dishonest lawyer caught out.
Trust funds aren’t hard to administer. You really only need to appreciate one simple rule – it’s not your money its the client’s.
Tuariki Delamere should have been hounded out of the country. Who continues to be associated with someone like that and what does it say about them??