By Belinda Feek, Open Justice reporter of 
Former Whangamatā JP Herbert Armitage leaves the Hamilton District Court last month after admitting a charge of money laundering for an upper North Island meth syndicate. Photo: NZ Herald / Belinda Feek
An 83-year-old Justice of the Peace laundered more than half a million dollars for a group of criminals who were manufacturing and supplying methamphetamine around the upper North Island.
Retired man Herbert Bruce Armitage's involvement was unravelled by police after intercepting phone calls and text messages between him and the group's leader.
Armitage took a 20 percent cut of the money - which saw him receive around $104,000 - and a subsequent financial analysis of his bank accounts revealed a "substantial cash income stream" beginning in September 2021 and continued for 13 months.
The Whangamatā man resigned as a JP in October last year amid a police investigation into his offending.
It was discovered that he used not only his own accounts to launder the group's money but also an account he held a power of attorney over which belonged to a woman in a rest home.
In total, Armitage laundered up to $524,213.12 and took a cut of $104,842.
On Friday, he appeared before Judge Noel Cocurullo in the Hamilton District Court where he was sentenced to six months' home detention.
The judge told Armitage, who had no previous convictions, that his offending was "a significant fall from grace", but he had done the "honourable thing" by resigning from his position as a JP.
'I was owed $200,000'
Armitage told a pre-sentence report writer he got caught up with the group after being introduced to its leader by a third party who owed him $200,000 for land developed several years ago.
About three months into "the arrangement" he realised he was "in the middle of a large operation cleaning money" and stopped the transactions after eight months.
He accepted he took 20 percent of the profit but had nothing to show for it as he had been convinced to reinvest it in another "start-up business" through the group's leader in Tauranga.
'Laundry money'
In June 2022, a police operation began targeting meth manufacturers and suppliers within the Waikato region.
A "highly organised and lucrative criminal enterprise" was uncovered and by 8 August of that year, police began intercepting private communications of those involved.
Armitage was discovered talking to the group's leader as well as another co-offender, Brendan Shiels, who has since died.
The leader and Armitage discussed him going into various banks to make deposits and in September, the group's leader was spotted going to Armitage's home to deliver $48,000 cash.
Armitage's property was searched on 9 March last year and he made several admissions including that cash had been given to him and then returned to the group's leader "to provide a legitimate fund flow between associates".
He held bank accounts with Westpac, BNZ, and ANZ and transactions either under his own name, or different names, were analysed by police.
Accounts in the name of the woman he had power of attorney over were also analysed and $100,410 was found to have been laundered through her account.
He made 28 payments to the group's leader totalling $271,670.50 through six different accounts, including one via the Trinity United Parish of $22,370.50.
When spoken to by police, Armitage detailed his money laundering methodology and acknowledged making cash deposits under $10,000 to avoid suspicion.
He said he did not know where the group leader's money was coming from but surmised it was either "drug money or laundry money or something like that", and confirmed he had a 20 percent "fee" for his work.
At sentencing, defence counsel Laura Hann confirmed with the judge that he would consider a sentence of home detention and then argued against a sentencing condition sought by the prosecution to exclude him from having any role involving financial matters.
She said he did "complicated" financial work for his church.
'Air of legitimacy'
At his earlier sentence indication hearing, Judge Cocurullo told Armitage that his involvement in the enterprise added an "air of legitimacy" to the money that was being made by distributing A- and C-class drugs.
He then added it was "one heck of a way to have a first hit out at offending".
"For someone of your age, with no previous convictions, this is a significant fall from grace," the judge said when sentencing him today.
He declined to grant Hann's request to delete the sentence condition relating to Armitage having financial control over accounts, given the seriousness of his actions, and his ability to seek permission from his probation officer when required.
Armitage was also charged with participating in an organised criminal group but that was withdrawn by the Crown.
- This story was originally published by the New Zealand Herald.
