A New Zealander posing as a Tahitian prince has been sentenced to 14 years in jail for defrauding the Queensland Government of more than $NZ20 million.
Hohepa 'Joel' Morehu-Barlow, who was 38, admitted a string of offences committed between October 2007 and December 2011 while working as a middle manager for Queensland Health.
He explained his lavish lifestyle by claiming to be a Tahitian prince, the ABC reports.
The court heard Morehu-Barlow had signed bank documents using the letters HRH, short for His Royal Highness.
When the fraudster was arrested in his waterfront apartment in 2011, police found hundreds of luxury items including a fake crown.
Barlow, through his lawyer David Shepherd, indicated late last year that he would plead guilty.
At Barlow's sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Brisbane's District Court was told that he was promoted in Queensland Health based on qualifications from a fake law degree.
