Fraudster Mackael 'Mack' Stockhausen jailed for defrauding MJH Group of $1million, plus assaults, larceny, and lies

When he got caught, he lied about his offending, blamed others, lied to psychologists, exaggerated his mental health issues, and lied about having had an operation to get out of community service.

Such was his web of lies, he lost sight of the truth, Newcastle Local Court was told on Wednesday.

Convicted fraudster Mackael Stockhausen was jailed for five years on Wednesday, the maximum term allowed for an aggregated sentence in the local court, with a non-parole period of 40 months.

He will be eligible for release on parole on November 19, 2024.

The list of crimes for which he was sentenced by Magistrate Peter Barnett include 18 counts of obtain financial advantage by deception against MJH Group, two counts of larceny and two counts of obtain money by deception, two counts of common assault, and make a false document intended to mislead a public official.

The frauds against MJH Group were committed while he was employed within the IT department there between September 2016 and July 2017. During that time he created invoices for IT equipment using the details of a West Australian company with no knowledge or affiliation with him, linked to his own accounts.

He paid himself more than $1million for IT equipment never delivered. He spent the money on luxury items such as a BMW, hotels, trips, and Star Wars curios and memorabilia.

His offending continued a month after he left the MJH Group to work for a tech company called Damastra where he used a company-issued credit card to purchase items which he on-sold.

He continued to use those details after losing his job there, and blamed a house mate who he suggested must have used the credit card details saved on his computer.

"He had been involved in proceedings in the Supreme Court with MJH over his actions, he knew he'd been rumbled ... but he continued...

"Again it involves a serious breach of trust and use of knowledge obtained through his employment."

"There seems to be no motive other than greed," Mr Barnett said.

The common assaults, which occurred in December 2020 and involved a former partner, were "nasty", Mr Barnett said.

In the first incident, during an argument about their relationship, he pinned the victim her to the floor with his body weight and bit her on the face.

A few days later, on Christmas Day, he went to lie down next to her, and dropped his right knee into the right side of her jaw.

Stockhausen has previously been sentenced to serve 28 months in prison for charges including 20 breaches of personal violence order, three counts of intimidation, one count of distribute an image without consent.

After failing to do community service work linked to a Community Corrections Order he was subject to, he emailed officials to say" "I sent you a medical certificate" which they did not receive. He sent a medical certificate the next day which said he had just had an operation for the removal of a testicle, and was therefore unfit to do any work through to about July 19 2021.

Inquiries were made with the doctor who was supposed to have signed the certificate who said Stockhausen was not his patient, and he issued no such certificate.

"It is a very serious example of a document created and issued just to avoid completing a court order," Mr Barnett said.

In those circumstances, there was a need for greater personalised deterrence to dissuade Stockhausen from his course of conduct, he said.

The court was asked to grant special circumstances, and to weigh up the level of criminality involved with his "significant mental health issues".

"Whatever his mental health was, it did not seem to impede his ability to get another job very quickly," Mr Barnett said of his moving from MJH Group to Damastra technology.

Several psychologist's reports were tendered but Mr Barnett said he had difficulty relying on their content because of 'flat out inconsistencies' and the lies which Stockhausen told them.

"He lies to one of the reporters saying, in June of last year, 'I do not have any criminal convictions or matters'," Mr Barnett said. "At that stage he was quite literally up to his neck in criminal matters."

A letter of apology tendered to the court did not demonstrate genuine contrition and remorse, Mr Barnett said, in particular his failure to acknowledge the damage and the effect of the dishonesty offences on his victims.

Mr Barnett said he easily accepted that Stockhausen has borderline personality disorder, but disagreed it had part to play in his dishonesty crimes.

"The only aspect of his personality disorder that affects the dishonesty is ... his grandiose ideas."

"I accept quite easily that he is at a stage now where he doesn't know which is true and which has been told as an untruth and has become lost. He clearly sees himself as a victim he clearly sees himself as set upon."

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