After an explosive 10-day trial at Maroochydore District Court, the long-running saga of the Bistro C fraud has ended with Noosa mother of two Jodi Louise Nuske found guilty of defrauding the high-end Hastings Street restaurant of more than $750,000 and jailed for seven years.
The theft of the money occurred over a period of four years between 2013 and 2017 during which time Ms Nuske was business and finance manager of the restaurant and also held power of attorney over owner Lorraine Banks.
In all, Ms Nuske, 44, worked at the restaurant for 18 years, starting soon after leaving school. In evidence Ms Banks told the court, “I treated her like one of my own daughters. I completely trusted her.”
On Monday it took the jury less than two hours to reach a guilty verdict, bringing the marathon trial to a close.
Ms Nuske showed no emotion as the verdict and sentence were handed down. She was remanded in custody.
