The
High Court confirmed a sentence of three years and two months for Rotorua woman
Mary-Rose Ponce-Calderon following an $800,000 insurance scam. Forged medical records and certificates were
used to claim on life policies.
Under her maiden name
of Mary-Rose Kereopa, Ponce-Calderon took out a $800,000 insurance policy on
her life with Asteron Life naming a Sharon Snow as the beneficiary. The District Court was told Ponce-Calderon
then manufactured a fictitious death for Mary-Rose Kereopa, having the fictitious
Sharon Snow supply forged documents and medical records to claim on the Asteron
policy. The $800,000 payout was used variously
by Ponce-Calderon to buy a house in Rotorua, travel and hire vehicles. After this successful fraud, Ponce-Calderon
set about creating further life policies in different names with Pinnacle Life
and AA Life. Suspicions over the
evidence she provided raised red flags when death claims were made. The fraud unravelled.
Appealing her sentence,
Ponce-Calderon said allowance should be given for serious health issues arising
from her pregnancy, which had resulted in several referrals from prison to
Middlemore Hospital. Prisoners at
Auckland women’s prison who are pregnant or have a child under the age of two
can apply for admission to the mothers’ and babies’ unit within the
prison. Ponce-Calderon said she was
getting insufficient medical support.
Justice Heath ruled
against any reduction in sentence. Ponce-Calderon’s
move into the support unit was imminent.
The prison has a team of thirteen nurses providing 24-hour coverage.
Police
v. Ponce-Calderon – District Court (11.04.17) & High Court (11.08.17)
17.100