A woman who defrauded a prison reform charity of more than £307,000 has been jailed for over three years.
Samantha O'Sullivan, 57, described her theft from the Prison Reform Trust as "easy money" when caught, according to a pre-sentence report.
The single mother served as the charity's head of finance and human resources when she carried out the fraud.
The organisation, previously led by Lord Timpson before his appointment as Prisons Minister, had knowingly hired O'Sullivan despite her criminal record.
She was promoted shortly before the thefts began, with the charity failing to detect the missing funds for years.
O'Sullivan orchestrated her scheme through 171 false invoices and fabricated expense claims, which unsuspecting executives approved roughly every fortnight, the Daily Mail reports.
The fraudulent payments went directly into her personal bank accounts, effectively doubling her legitimate income.
The stolen funds financed an extravagant lifestyle spanning seven years.
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PA | A woman who defrauded a prison reform charity of more than £307,000 has received a prison sentence exceeding three years at Kingston Crown Court
She travelled to exclusive destinations including Cape Verde, Dubai, Lisbon, Barcelona and Split, staying in five-star accommodation.
Her spending extended to beauty treatments, designer clothing and rental properties.
This wasn't O'Sullivan's first financial crime - she'd been imprisoned in December 2013 for stealing £85,000 whilst working as deputy official receiver in Croydon, where she targeted bankrupt individuals selling their homes.
The Prison Reform Trust recruited O'Sullivan in 2016, viewing her criminal history as an isolated incident within an otherwise successful two-decade financial career.
Samantha O'Sullivan described her theft from the Prison Reform Trust as 'easy money'
The charity champions rehabilitation and second chances for offenders.
Senior figures including former Justice Secretary David Gauke and ex-Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Nigel Newcomen served as trustees during her employment.
They held responsibility for implementing fraud prevention measures, according to charity documentation.
An internal audit finally exposed her activities last year. In court yesterday, O'Sullivan disputed claiming the fraud was "easy money", insisting she'd only acknowledged its unsophisticated nature.
GETTY | She travelled to exclusive destinations including Cape Verde, Dubai, Lisbon, Barcelona and Split, staying in five-star accommodation
She expressed shame and regret: "I'm ashamed and remorseful for what I have done."
O'Sullivan described concealing her actions as maintaining a "horrible secret" and found her position at the charity challenging.
She said: "They gave me a chance and I did not set out to betray that trust that was given to me. I found the work was difficult, some people resented me, I was often under the spotlight as a reformed prisoner.
"I made terrible decision after terrible decision by somehow thinking I could make up for past mistakes by making new ones."
O’Sullivan claimed some of the cash was blown on her children’s student rent, but when asked where the money had gone, she answered: "I do not know."