A convicted fraudster stole £307,000 from the Prison Reform Trust over seven years while working as the charity's head of finance and human resources.
Samantha O'Sullivan, 57, secretly stole from the charity despite her history of theft being well-known to the charity, which prides itself on offering "second chances".
The mother-of-two pleaded guilty to the seven-year fraud on May 7 at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court.
Her deception went unnoticed by the charity's board of trustees until 2024.
O'Sullivan pleaded guilty on May 7
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The sum stolen exceeds the total amount the Prison Reform Trust received in gifts and donations last year.
In her previous role as deputy official receiver of Croydon, O'Sullivan managed bankruptcy assets in the region. She preyed on the destitute, convincing their solicitors to write cheques payable to her instead of her office.
The divorcee stole £85,000 from those facing bankruptcy who had to sell their homes to pay their debts.
She used the money to fund a lavish holiday in Cambodia, buy home furnishings, and give cash to friends and family.
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After being caught in 2012, O'Sullivan was forced to sell her £237,000 home to repay the proceeds.
She was jailed for a year in December 2013, with Judge Ruth Downing citing "an overwhelming abuse of a position of trust".
Following her release from prison, O'Sullivan secured a job at the Prison Reform Trust in 2016, with her conviction being known as a one-off mistake.
One insider questioned the decision, saying: "The risk was obvious. Why would you put a convicted fraudster in charge of finances?"
The fraudster went unnoticed by former justice secretary David Gauke
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O'Sullivan's fraud went undetected by the Prison Reform Trust's board of trustees, which included former justice secretary David Gauke, former Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Nigel Newcomen, and Lord Timpson, who led the trust before becoming Prisons Minister last year.
Once a month, O'Sullivan met with Lord Timpson and the trustees, who were responsible for "taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud," according to charity records.
Despite these regular meetings and oversight responsibilities, the mounting missing funds went unnoticed by both the board and independent auditors until 2024, seven years after her deception began.
When the fraud was finally discovered, the Prison Reform Trust opted to pursue O'Sullivan through a private prosecution after Action Fraud failed to act on the case.
The charity funded the legal action itself, determined to hold O'Sullivan accountable for her seven-year deception that had drained more than £300,000 from its resources.
The private prosecution ultimately led to O'Sullivan's guilty plea at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court earlier this month.
The trust's chief executive, Pia Sinha, stated that the current senior management team had not been involved in O'Sullivan's appointment and would never have hired her.
Sinha said: "The current team has introduced robust safeguards to ensure this cannot happen again."
