STATE OF TASMANIA v KARIN EILEY RUBENACH 25 NOVEMBER 2019
COMMENTS ON PASSING SENTENCE BLOW CJ
Karen Eiley Rubenach, you have pleaded guilty to a charge of dealing with property suspected of being proceeds of crime. In September of last year, $22,000 passed through your bank account. It was money that had been misappropriated. You received that money and passed it on in three separate instalments at the request of somebody who had contacted you through social media. It should have been very obvious that there was something illegal going on. I accept that you did not act dishonestly. This is a crime that can be committed by someone who acts honestly and does not realise that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the funds are the proceeds of a crime, when in fact they are.
You are 65 years old. You have not been in any trouble for over 40 years. You are very embarrassed by this. Although the perpetrator of this misappropriation appears not to have been caught, the money was retrieved, so nobody has lost any money. You made frank admissions to the police, you pleaded guilty at an early stage, you are in terrible health, and your husband needs you to look after him. In all the circumstances I think it will be sufficient if I simply record a conviction and impose no other penalty.
On the indictment, you are convicted, and you are free to go.