A woman who allegedly secured a $245,000-a-year job with the South Australian Department of Premier and Cabinet thanks to a fake CV that claimed she had worked for some of the world’s largest technology companies has faced court charged with deception and dishonestly dealing with documents. Veronica Theriault, who appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court via video link from Perth, was appointed as the state government’s chief information officer in August on a three-year contract. She also allegedly told staff that she was “an experienced ICT professional with over 20 years in senior leadership positions”, and claimed to hold a number of degrees, including a master of business administration. There are also suggestions that Ms Theriault acted as her own referee under an alias. The CIO role required Ms Theriault, who was 44 when charged in September, to modernise the government’s information and communication technology strategy and oversee sensitive computer services. But just seven weeks into the role, Ms Theriault, who reportedly signed off her emails with the title “Chief Geek”, was sacked by DPC chief executive Don Russell and charged by the state’s Independent Commissioner Against Corruption, Bruce Lander, following an investigation into the legitimacy of her application. Alan Corkill, believed to be Ms Theriault’s brother, also appeared in court yesterday after he was charged last year with deception and aiding and abetting Ms Theriault’s alleged offending. It is understood that Mr Corkill was allegedly appointed to a lucrative “service integration team leader” contract role during Ms Theriault’s tenure.
