Career
lieutenant is regarded as one of the largest fraud cases in New South Wales history. The money has never been recovered. During that period, Lawson reportedly spent A$2.6 million on poker machine bets at the Street Marys Band Club, where she was a director, and a further A$160,000 on television shopping channel purchases, clothing, jewellery, a cruise, a car and other traveling
Lawson was convicted in the District Court of New South Wales in August 2004, on 129 charges including 19 of embezzlement which she pleaded guilty to
During the trial it was alleged that the stolen money was laundered through the Street Marys Band Club poker machines, where as director she received more than 90 per cent of all machine payouts. She was gaoled for seven years, with a non-parole period of four, at Mulawa Correctional Centre (now known as Silverwater Women"s Correctional Centre), and released in 2008.
