Steven Frederick Deer, 63, was convicted and fined $2250 in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday over fraudulent invoices he sent under the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union letterhead.
The former union manager of education and training, responsible for accrediting building and construction workers nationally, pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining property by deception.
Deer bowed his head in court as Magistrate Vincenzo Caltabiano handed down his sentence, describing the offending as a "breach of trust" and not a one-off.
"There was a degree of calculation in it," he said.
Deer had approached four labour hire companies and pushed them to sponsor a CFMEU car and in return they could display their logos on the vehicle.
He sent seven invoices under the union's letterhead, despite not having permission to use the letterhead for the invoices or to reimburse himself for his donations.
But they contained "fictitious" account names with his personal bank details included.
He was attempting to recoup money he had spent buying car parts for a Ford Falcon and two Smart Cars and donated to the union.
A total of $10,000 was paid into that account by unsuspecting companies.
He told police in a recorded interview he did not believe the invoices were fraudulent and believed all the companies knew he was "doing this personally and not for the union".
Deer said he had not profited from the companies as he had spent about $21,000 for the donations.
The offending, which spanned 12 months from June 2024 to May 2025, was discovered following a whistleblower complaint.
Deer was stood down from his role in September 2025 before Victoria Police Taskforce Hawk, which investigated allegations of crime and corruption in the building industry, raided his home a month later and arrested him.
His lawyer had argued he had no prior convictions and suffered extra-curial punishment from media coverage.
The prosecutor denied the media impact and said the offending was done with an element of sophistication which would have been difficult to detect without the whistleblower.
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