Lachlan Morganti admits to stealing $64,000 from a GoFundMe organised for Hannah McGuire’s family in order to fund his gambling addiction
A man who organised a fundraiser to support the family of an alleged murder victim squandered the money to support his gambling addiction.
Lachlan Morganti, 22, pleaded guilty in Ballarat District Court to stealing more than $64,000 during the online fundraiser in April.
Morganti came up with the idea to start a GoFundMe page for the family of 21-year-old Hannah McGuire, whose body was found on April 5 in a burnt-out car in Scarsdale, about 25km south of Ballarat.
Her former partner Lachlan Young, 21, has been charged with murder and has pleaded not guilty.
The fundraiser raised $64,541.75, but Hannah’s mother Debbie McGuire never saw a cent in her account.
“The defendant not only betrayed our trust, he completely disregarded and betrayed the trust and generosity of an entire community,” McGuire said, reading her victim impact statement to the court.
‘Instead of focusing on the horrific circumstances under which Hannah died, attention was diverted elsewhere.’
Ms. McGuire chose to read her statement from the witness stand and looked at Morganti as she spoke.
Lachlan Morganti, 22, (pictured) pleaded guilty in Ballarat District Court to stealing more than $64,000 from the online fundraiser in April
The body of 21-year-old Hannah McGuire (pictured) was found in a burnt-out car in Scarsdale, about 25km south of Ballarat, on April 5.
“One of the community members at the time described the accused as ‘mean’; I thought that was rude,” she said.
“But after thinking about it, I don’t think I could describe his behavior any other way.”
The court was told that Morganti had been struggling with mental health issues and a gambling addiction since he was 18. When the money was deposited into his account in April, he had already spent $10,000 of his pension money on gambling.
The theft was a major blow to the close-knit Ballarat community, where Hannah McGuire was one of three women killed in alleged violent attacks earlier this year.
“We will never be able to spend the money the way we intended. It’s gone and we will never get it back,” her mother told the court.
“I feel tremendous sadness for those who contributed financially at a time when they felt helpless and didn’t know what else they could do for us.”
Morganti will hear his sentence on October 1.
Hannah’s parents, Glen and Debbie McGuire, are pictured leaving court on Tuesday