A Gisborne man has been sentenced to seven months’ home detention after allegedly evading more than $122,000 in taxes over seven years to fund a gambling habit that reportedly consumed $400,000.
Claude Jack Cory Saddlier faced charges in Gisborne District Court on July 29 for allegedly failing to register for GST, failing to file tax returns with intent to evade income tax and GST, and knowingly withholding information from Inland Revenue to claim Working for Families Tax Credits he was not entitled to. Judge Warren Cathcart reportedly described the alleged offending as “straight theft from the community” motivated solely by greed to fund gambling.
According to Inland Revenue, Saddlier allegedly evaded $91,801 in income tax and $30,315 in GST while working as a crane operator and running side businesses printing T-shirts, making leather vests, and tattooing. The tax authority stated his business income reached as much as $190,449 in a single year, crossing the threshold that required GST registration and filing. Despite being advised repeatedly over several years to file outstanding returns, he allegedly did not comply.
Inland Revenue reported that Saddlier spent nearly $1.3 million over the seven-year period, with approximately $400,000 going to gambling. The agency began investigating the couple in 2024, with charges relating to nine tax years from April 2017 to March 2025.
Working for Families fraud charges
Saddlier’s partner, Amanda Phillipa Manuel, also faced charges of knowingly withholding information from Inland Revenue to obtain Working for Families Tax Credits. The couple married in 2022, but both allegedly registered for the low-income family support program as single parents.
Working for Families Tax Credits assist families with dependent children under 18, with entitlements based on total household income and family circumstances. Recipients are required to notify Inland Revenue of changes to their living arrangements. According to the tax authority, interviews revealed that Saddlier and Manuel lived at the same property during the period of alleged offending and their finances were intermingled.
Saddlier reportedly had shared custody of a child from a previous relationship, while Manuel cared for one of her own children plus two children of a family member for several years. Both defendants received discounts on their sentences after pleading guilty to the charges.
Based on reporting by The New Zealand Herald.
This article reports on allegations and legal proceedings as described by the cited source. Any charges or accusations mentioned are unproven, and all individuals are presumed innocent unless and until found guilty in a court of law.