Sixteen women were targeted in raids across the city’s south-west.
It happened two days after eight others were charged. In May, 17 people were charged over their involvement with the fraudulent operations of Red Roses Family Day Care.
One of the women wearing an Adidas hoodie shouted and said: ‘I’m going to stick my finger up your f****** a***,’ and showed her middle finger.
Detectives claimed that as many as 150 parents used the business to fraudulently claim a Commonwealth rebate of up to $146 a week per child. Police alleged the family daycare business was set up to receive the federal government’s childcare subsidy schemes and claimed at least $3.8 million in annual rebates.
Police charged on seven women and a man on Tuesday before arresting a further 16 women on Thursday morning. It is said that 22 people were charged in total, with two women released ‘pending further inquiries.’
In May, State Crime Commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said: “It created time-sheets, it had photographs of children that weren’t in care, it had mock-up areas, it had an administrative structure, rostering, like anything else in a legitimate business,”
“However, the whole thing was a fraud,”
“There are over 150 parents laying claim in terms of the rebate, what we’ve taken out yesterday are the professional facilitators behind this syndicate,” Smith said, adding “we won’t rule out further significant arrests.”
Last December, during the graduation ceremony Year 6 students were handed mortarboard hats and several adults were given educator awards. One woman who was announcing the awards said that she did not know one of the teachers ‘very well.’
During the first arrest in May, police raided 23 properties from southwest Sydney to Wollongong. One of the women who was arrested at her South Granville home allegedly had $35,000 cash in her handbag.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said: ”This should act as a further warning for anyone else involved in similar syndicates – you are being monitored and we will arrest anyone who intends to make fraudulent family daycare claims.”
[rumble video_id=v5cmmz domain_id=u7nb2]