33-year-old Rishi Kandelwal will serve his four-year sentence in ACT’s intensive corrections orders after he was found guilty of stealing more than $500,000 from tax office.
Khandelwal filed hundreds of fake tax returns in the names of international students to claim money from the tax office.
In 2008, Khandelwal began filing tax returns of international students under real names but with bogus details of job positions the students never held.
The evidence against him included a large number of bundles of $50 notes, luxury items, multiple ATM cards and a meticulous diary.
During this time, he was a federal public servant. In 2010, when this scam was discovered, he was charged with 302 offences.
But in 2012-13, some of the charges were dropped.
On Tuesday, during final sentencing, Magistrate Peter Dingwall found Khandelwal had taken a sophisticated approach to avoid detection.
"I am satisfied his sole motive was greed," he said.
Magistrate Dingwall said the luxury items and large amounts of cash seized demonstrated his desire to live a life of luxury.
But the Magistrate noted that Khandelwal was a reformed man and now had a job and family.
"I have no doubt the experience of being arrested, losing his job, and the long and costly trial will have deterred him again from committing any further offence," Magistrate Dingwall said.
"He's already achieved a good level of rehabilitation and I have no doubt this will continue."
Khandelwal has been sentenced to serve the community in one of the ACT's new intensive corrections orders. If he fails to do so, he will have to serve the time in jail.
Khandelwal has also been ordered to do 400 hours of community service.
