Bachelor’s gold bars in the walls
Before the public knew of his audacious scheme, Wayne Patterson was a quiet bachelor who lived alone in what appeared to be a modest suburban house.
But inside there were signs of the wealth he had accumulated over the years he had developed his scam.
It was from his two-bedroom terraced home in Massey he executed the country’s largest welfare fraud, stealing $3.2 million using 123 false identities — complete with disguises.
Patterson was sentenced to eight years in prison for his offending. He was released in 2015, but not before having two years added to his sentence when he forged documents in a bid to help with a parole hearing.
His small sitting room boasted a four-metre screen and large leather recliners as part of an elaborate home cinema. In the spare room, Patterson had installed top-quality exercise and weightlifting equipment.
Hidden away behind walls, in disguised cubbyholes, was more than $1m in cash and gold bars. Also hidden were the false identities and more than 100 keys for post office boxes across the country.
Rare palms, marble seats and Easter Island-style garden statues were dotted around the heavily planted garden. It was here investigators found $750,000 in notes, wrapped in plastic and buried for safety.
Patterson’s fraud — which followed scams in the United States and Australia — saw the taxpayer make money. He invested the cash in shares, which soared in value. Patterson was released to live with his parents in Carterton. In 2016, he successfully appealed conditions around his release from prison, which allowed him to access the internet.