Mother who was once well-regarded for her charity work admits to stealing up to $100,000 from a food pantry over two years

  • Lizzie Millar pleaded guilty to defrauding a charity where she worked in October 
  • Millar worked at House of Hope based in NSW's Illawarra region for two years
  • She obtained tens of thousands of dollars from the charity while employed 

By Zoe Zaczek For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 06:50 EST, 14 November 2018 | Updated: 06:50 EST, 14 November 2018

A mother has admitted to stealing up to $100,000 from the charity where she worked over two years. 

Lizzie Millar pleaded guilty to dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception from the Hope Centre, a food charity based in the Illawarra region, NSW, in October.

Millar, who worked as a general manager at the charity for two years, took charge of the its day-to-day operations, including paying employees, but an internal audit later revealed financial statements did not add up.

In December 2016, she was charged with fraud, and in September 2017 she was hit with additional charges.  

Lizzie Millar (pictured) pleaded guilty to dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception from the Hope Centre, a food charity based in Illawarra, NSW, in October

Lizzie Millar (pictured) pleaded guilty to dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception from the Hope Centre, a food charity based in Illawarra, NSW, in October

Millar, who was once well-regarded for her charity work, fleeced thousands of dollars from the organisation over her two years of employment, A Current Affair  reported.

Jeff and Gally Dakers, who started the charity 20 years ago, mortgaged their home to expand the the food pantry, but have since been forced to shut it down - to the detriment of hungry people in the region.

'They're struggling out there, we were their life source to feed their kids,' Ms Dakers said. 

Ms Dakers told A Current Affair that Millar took between $80,000 and $85,000 from the charity.

But police allege it is somewhere near $100,000, Illawarra Mercury reported.  

An investigation into the charity's cash flow revealed Millar made dozens of unauthorised transfers between her bank account and the charity's between November 2014 and July 2016. 

Mr Dakers said Millar claimed to have Multiple Sclerosis, but later backtracked.

'She said she had MS and I said, we're going to have to get a report from your doctor,' he said about Millar.

'As soon as we started pushing it for reports she dropped it.' 

Jeff and Gally Dakers (pictured), who started the charity 20 years ago, mortgaged their home to expand the the food pantry, but have since been forced to shut it down

Jeff and Gally Dakers (pictured), who started the charity 20 years ago, mortgaged their home to expand the the food pantry, but have since been forced to shut it down

The exact amount Millar defrauded from the charity is in dispute. 

One volunteer at the charity, Jennette, said she loaned at least $8,000 to Millar but it hasn't been returned.

The Hope Centre provided food to those in need for free or for a small donation. 

The charity received some food donations from major supermarkets but needed funds to purchase most of the stock.

A Current Affair reporter Brady Halls confronted Millar (pictured) about the fraud and asked whether she would be willing to apologise to the victims

A Current Affair reporter Brady Halls confronted Millar (pictured) about the fraud and asked whether she would be willing to apologise to the victims

A Current Affair reporter Brady Halls confronted Millar about the fraud, during which he asked whether she would be willing to apologise to the victims.

Millar said she hadn't stolen from anyone - despite pleading guilty to several charges. 

Millar will return to court in April 2019.

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Mother admits to stealing up to $100,000 from a food pantry over two years

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