Former prison finance officer stole $315,000 from inmates’ family members
Family members of prisoners at a large prison complex in Sydney paid significant sums of money to secure the release of bail for their loved ones, while Rabhi Sobhi oversaw the administration of the system.
However, behind closed doors the 47-year-old regularly abused this position of trust by exploiting people during incredibly stressful times by stealing or embezzling approximately $315,000 over two years.
Sobhi avoided prison for his crimes when he was sentenced in the NSW District Court earlier this month, largely due to what a judge described as the longest delay he had seen in his 30-year career.
Between January 2012 and August 2014 Sobhi was employed by New South Wales Corrective Services as the Sole Financial Officer of Public Funds at the Silverwater Prison Complex in Sydney’s west.
Judge Sharon Harris outlined the agreed facts before sentencing him to a three-year intensive corrections order for 103 offenses of theft and fraud.
He said Sobhi was financially stable while committing relatively simple crimes and was not plagued by debt or addiction, making his motive unclear.
“This was opportunism in a business where significant amounts of cash were readily available and the criminal was systematically stealing,” Sharon said, adding that he destroyed and manipulated documents without being noticed.
“It is important to emphasize that the offender abused the trust placed in him.”
The judge described Silverwater prison’s finance office at the time as “complex”, understaffed and with procedures that were not always followed, creating an ideal environment for Sobhi to deceive.
Prisoners’ family members would visit a window to deposit cash, either as bail security—when an “acceptable person” guarantees the defendant’s compliance with bail by pledging to the court the money forfeited if certain conditions are violated—or for use in the prison’s “canteen.”
Cashiers would place an envelope full of cash and a manual receipt in a safe that Sobhi had access to.
In 63 reported incidents between January 2012 and August 2014, Sobhi removed money from these envelopes before they were taken to the bank. He would then change the numbers on the balance-counting Excel spreadsheets prepared by junior cashiers to reflect dwindling bank deposits.
He would also move funds between different ledgers and physically alter month-end reports to cover financial shortfalls. He once removed the number “159” from a report showing $159,100 missing, so the amount read as $100.
His fraud was only revealed when Corrective Services ordered the early closing of the books for the end of the 2014 financial year. Head office saw the $159,000 shortfall before Sobhi had a chance to manipulate the report.
Auditors discovered a year’s worth of original Excel sheets had been deleted from the server, and an external investigation concluded Sobhi had repeatedly understated balances.
Sobhi was arrested in August 2014, 11 years before he learned of his sentence.
“The delay following Mr. Sobhi’s indictment is extraordinary,” Sharon said.
“Leaving aside defendants who have escaped or are in custody or perhaps subject to multiple retrials in another jurisdiction, having practiced law for almost 30 years, I do not know of any case involving such a long delay.”
The setback was partly caused by the “inexplicable and unacceptable” years-long gap in Sobhi’s trial, followed by problems with the Crown’s late materiel service and defense availability.
Sobhi’s first trial was postponed due to the suspension of jury trials during the COVID pandemic, lasted 16 weeks and resulted in a hung jury.
A retrial in 2025 resulted in his being found guilty of more than 100 crimes, including theft, dishonest financial gain and publishing false material.
Sharon noted the psychological and financial strain the “uncertain tension” was putting on Sobhi and his family as he continued to pay off his legal debt of nearly $240,000 to family members. This stress contributed significantly to Sobhi avoiding full-time custody, he said.
In recent years Sobhi had become heavily involved in his local church and charity groups. He had been promoted to field manager at a store at the Sydney Fish Market, where he would work from 2am to 8am before attending each day of the trial.
Although she maintained her innocence and therefore showed no remorse, Sharon realized that her pro-social life and strong community support meant she would likely be rehabilitated.
“Mr. Sobhi states that it is his intention to continue to contribute positively to his family and community and to overcome the mental and financial challenges resulting from these transactions,” Sharon said.
Sobhi, who was supported in court by his wife and children, was sentenced to a three-year supervised intensive correctional order, the first 12 months of which will be spent under house arrest.
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