A fraudster stole more than $70,000 from the Master Builder's Association to fund his gambling addiction, creating "a nightmare" for his colleagues.
"The mental anguish and sheer exhaustion for all of us at Master Builders was profound and long standing," a victim impact statement read to the ACT Supreme Court said.
On Tuesday, Luke Lowes, 41, was handed a more than two-year intensive correction order for fraud.
Justice David Mossop also ordered Lowes to complete 200 hours of community service and to pay almost $5500 in reparations.
Lowes, from Calwell, previously pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining a financial advantage by deception.
In a victim impact statement read on Tuesday, Master Builders Association chief executive Denita Wawn said Lowes' "sudden departure left a gaping hole in our capacity to organise our biggest event of the year".
She said that while insurance had covered part of the stolen money, the association was still "out of pocket directly" and had been hit with increased insurance premiums.
"[The impact is] not only the money but the betrayal of trust, the ongoing deception as opposed to owning up, and the nightmare he left for his colleagues," Ms Wawn stated.
Agreed facts state that over about 11 months Lowes stole $73,136 from his employer by directing funds into his own personal accounts.
Lowes, a gambling addict, paid more than $11,200 back into the organisation's account during this time.
He was responsible for organising ticketed events which attendees purchased through the website Eventbrite.
The funds were meant to be deposited into the company's account but, instead, the fraudster changed the account details to his own.
In May 2022, a manager found a discrepancy of about $50,000, but Lowes continued to try and hide his deception by sending a fake email purporting to be from an Eventbrite "payments specialist" named Jeremy.
Lowes' actions finally came to light in September that year, when the manager was informed the ticketing website did not have a staff member by that name.
The offender resigned the next month after his crimes were reported to police.
On Tuesday, Justice Mossop found Lowes had not intended to permanently deprive the association of funds, but had an "unrealistic expectation the money would be able to be returned" as gambling winnings.
"[The gambler] lost the money instead of being about to pay it back," the judge said.
He labelled the fraud "an uncharacteristic aberration" and found Lowes had a gambling addiction which was currently in remission.
Justice Mossop recognised poker machines were "designed to exploit human weakness".
