Latest defendant named in mortgage and investment fraud prosecution
Another defendant in the SFO’s prosecution of a complex mortgage and investment fraud case can now be named.
Christopher Peters has been charged with 23 counts of obtaining credit of $7.3 million by deception (14 as principal offender). He has also been charged with six counts of attempting to obtain a further $2.9 million by deception (all as principal offender), and four counts of obtaining property by deception (two as principal).
In March 2024, the District Court at North Shore declined to grant name suppression to Christopher Peters, and in May 2024, the High Court at Auckland dismissed an appeal of that decision.
SFO Director Karen Chang says, “This latest development is another important step in our ongoing work to successfully prosecute this complicated mortgage and investment fraud case.”
“When tackling serious offending on this scale we believe it is in the public interest to ensure the principle of open justice is applied and case details are made available.”
A total of 37 charges have been filed in relation to an alleged mortgage fraud scheme, against Christopher Peters, Robert Peters and two other people who have name suppression, for obtaining credit or property by deception and attempting to obtain credit by deception. One of the unnamed defendants has pleaded guilty to four charges having admitted to providing misleading information to their bank as part of a 2018 loan application and is due to be sentenced in August 2024.
Charges for an alleged investment fraud have also been filed against Christopher Peters, Robert Peters, Gerard Peters and Serene Peters for obtaining $1.8 million by deception. Christopher and Robert Peters have also been charged with obtaining those funds by forgery as an alternative charge.
More information
For further details about the case refer to our recent release and the case history timeline:
- Defendant pleads guilty in mortgage fraud scheme(external link) (30 April 2024)
- Case history timeline(external link).
About the SFO
The SFO is responsible for investigating and prosecuting serious or complex fraud, including bribery, and corruption in New Zealand. With a focus on maintaining integrity and trust in the financial system, the SFO has developed strategic areas of focus to ensure it has the greatest impact with the cases it takes in. These are reviewed and updated every 12-18 months.
SFO Strategic Areas of Focus(external link)