Addict stole $64k from slain woman’s GoFundMe

A gambling addict has walked free after admitting he stole tens of thousands of dollars from an online fundraiser to support a slain woman’s family.

Lachlan Morganti, 26, returned before the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday for sentencing a week after pleading guilty to a single charge of theft.

He was supported by his family and partner as magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz sentenced him to a two-year community corrections order and 400 hours of unpaid work.

He nodded his head in agreement.

The court was told Morganti set up a GoFundMe to support the family of allegedly murdered woman Hannah McGuire on April 5 this year.

He had become acquainted with the family, who managed The National Hotel in Clunes, through their support of the Clunes Cricket Club where he played.

“Hannah was known by many as a bright young woman and had a heart of gold,” the fundraiser read.

“All proceeds will go towards funeral costs and other expenses the family may need during this tough time.”

Smashing the initial goal of $15,000 in four days, the GoFundMe raised more than $64,000 from generous community donations.

The funds dropped in Morganti’s bank account on April 24, but he almost immediately began to gamble with it – losing the full amount in four to five days.

After his arrest, Morganti told police he had an “uncontrollable” gambling addiction and internally justified it by believing he would only use a small portion to fix his mounting gambling debts.

Morganti confessed the loss to Ms McGuire’s mother, Debbie, the following month, and she reported the incident to police.

“I accept the act of creating the GoFundMe was meant as an altruistic act, that it was intended as a selfless act to benefit the grieving McGuire family,” Ms Mykytowycz said.

“However, the temptation to use this money to recover previous debts became overwhelming and self-indulgent.”

Previously, the court was told GoFundMe had promised to reimburse donors but the McGuire family had received nothing.

In a statement to the court, Debbie McGuire said it was important to note no one from their family had asked for support or for Morganti to start the GoFundMe.

She said Morganti had the “audacity” to attend Hannah’s funeral among many of those whose contributions he had stolen.

“Not only did the accused violate our trust, but he had a complete disregard of the trust and generosity of an entire community,” she said.

Last week, Morganti’s lawyer said Morganti had deep and sincere remorse for the offending but explained he had been experiencing significant mental health problems and was self-medicating with gambling and alcohol.

“He tried to do the right thing initially but it escalated beyond the point of no return,” she said.

His defence called for a sentence that did not include jail time, but police argued imprisonment was open for the “deplorable” offending.

Hannah’s body was found by emergency services in a burnt-out car near State Forest Rd on the outskirts of Ballarat on April 5.

Her ex-boyfriend, Lachlan Young, 22, formally pleaded not guilty to murder last month and elected to fast-track his case to the Victorian Supreme Court for trial.

He will next appear in court later this month.