Newstalk ZB
Auckland resident Sandy Younes was serving a non-custodial sentence for helping to cover up a homicide when she turned her attention to a bank impersonation scam in which one victim lost her life savings. In all, the former personal trainer helped steal $89,000 from two different victims in July and September 2023, nearly $16,000 of which was spent on a Louis Vuitton shopping spree. Younes – citing a dysfunctional relationship with a mysterious new man, after her previous dysfunctional relationship resulted in a murder investigation – again asked a judge for mercy as she appeared in Auckland District Court for sentencing on the latest charge last month. In addition to asking for another sentence of community detention, she sought permanent name suppression – suggesting that media coverage of her previous court case contributed to her criminal relapse. Judge Debra Bell, however, was dubious of the 25-year-old’s explanations for her offending. She denied both requests. “The vulnerability of victims means the public has an increased interest in the transparency of these proceedings,” she said, according to sentencing documents released to the Herald this week. Manipulation and pressure Younes pleaded guilty last June to a representative charge of money laundering, which carries a sentence of up to seven years’ imprisonment. Court documents state the two victims were lured by fake emails and texts purporting to be from their banks. Upon calling a number on the messages, they were told by a person pretending to be a bank employee that their accounts had been compromised by scammers. They were convinced to hand over banking details under the guise of moving the money to a new account that scammers couldn’t touch. But the new account was the scam. Sandy Younes appears in the High Court at Auckland in February 2023, ahead of ex-partner Mandal Sellick's murder trial. The court was told she threatened witnesses. Photo / Jason Oxenham The first victim, who was at retirement age, lost nearly $37,000 – a sum so substantial to her, she told the court, that it caused immense stress and impacted her mental health. The second victim initially also lost just under $37,000 after she was “manipulated” and put under “extreme pressure” to provide her bank details. “The stolen funds represented the bulk of her and her husband’s savings and left them with nothing,” Judge Bell said. “She had to live with the constant fear that the money was lost to her. She not only had money stolen from her, but she also lost time, security and peace of mind. It paid a huge emotional toll on her.” Younes also got access to the second victim’s credit card details, which she entered into her own phone so the card could be used to make payWave purchases. Younes then arranged for a friend to serve as a mule, using Younes’ phone to purchase three luxury bags, a wallet and an $800 bottle of perfume from the Louis Vuitton store on Queen St, Auckland. Younes had recruited an 18-year-old she met on social media, described by the judge as a vulnerable young woman, to launder the first victim’s money via the teen’s bank account. She recruited a cousin of her neighbour to help hide the second victim’s money. A third co-conspirator helped her with the shopping spree. “This shows a very high degree of foresight and planning,” Judge Bell said. ‘Vulnerable’ around men Defence lawyer Marek Hamlin argued in court his client should not be regarded as the principal offender in the scam. Younes claimed in a pre-sentencing interview that before the latest crimes she had entered into a relationship with a man referred to only as “Mohammed”, who had initially financially supported her but also got her addicted to nitrous oxide. Younes said Mohammed scammed her first, claiming to have received a large inheritance and asking her to recruit people to help him ge...
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