Alleged Fraudster Arrested

A New Zealander has been arrested in Australia for alleged embezzling $16 million from Queensland Health. 36-year-old Hohepa Morehu-Barlow — also known as Joel Barlow — had been evading police since Thursday afternoon when the alleged theft first came to their attention. Barlow had just a small window of opportunity to escape on Thursday, when police raided his $5.65 million riverside apartment. Upon entering the unit police found no sign of the public servant who led a lavish lifestyle amongst Brisbane’s high-society, and it’s understood investigators missed him by a matter or minutes. The self-proclaimed member of Maori and Tahitian royalty allegedly siphoned the millions from Queensland Health over the past three years, allegedly stealing $11 million in the past fortnight alone. Described by his New Zealand family as having a knack for numbers, Barlow grew up in Thames and attended Victoria University before moving to Australia within the past 10 years.