Judge Ryan observed that Robie’s offending was “only a small part” of the group’s “systemic and substantial” fraud, which fleeced nearly $400,000 from an undisclosed number of victims. A ‘disgrace and a shame’She called Robie’s offending “a disgrace and a shame” for which he needed to be held accountable. Judge Ryan doubted Robie’s explanation that he was wilfully blind to what his co-defendants were doing. Zhao argued that the convictions had a particular weight at the beginning of Robie’s working life, as did their “particular connotations of lack of trust and honesty”. Justice Jagose said the gravity of Robie’s offending was “at least moderate” and he saw nothing in the judge’s decision that made it a miscarriage of justice.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 13, 2026 02:40 UTC