A former Australian National University student has won an appeal against his suspended sentence for his role in a health insurance scam.
Borong Liu, 29, pleaded guilty to his role in the scam, which involved fake health insurance claims for overseas students.
He was sentenced in August last year to 240 hours of community service work and ordered to repay more than $11,000 by the ACT Magistrates Court.
He admitted to his part in 43 claims against Allianz Global Assistance, which provides healthcare insurance for overseas university students.
Liu was charged with receiving the money, but not with committing the fraud.
The scam involved the production of fake medical receipts, using the details of students, by an unknown person, for non-existent medical services said to have been provided at several Canberra clinics.
Lui said he was drawn into the scam by a woman called Jennifer.
At the time he was sentenced Liu referred to himself as having been "greedy and stupid".
He admitted he should have been more suspicious of the woman.
But he told the Court of Appeal the sentence was manifestly excessive, and appeared to have been imposed for the crime of fraud, with which he had not been charged.
Associate Justice Verity McWilliam agreed, citing passages from the sentencing which appear not to acknowledge that he was only charged with receiving.
Lui's sentence was reduced to two months suspended, with only 50 hours of community service.
But he will still have to repay the money within 12 months.
