A need to buy stock for her Cronulla fashion boutique during the global financial crisis landed Sutherland Shire Council candidate Marie Simone in court.
Ms Simone, a Liberal Party contender in A Ward, pleaded guilty to obtaining $15,000 by deception.
She received a good behaviour bond, but no conviction was recorded.
Court documents show a finance broker arranged a loan of almost $20,000 in the form of a lease for an office printer that was never delivered.
Prominent Liberal Party members are privately highly critical of the choice of Ms Simone, also because she was declared bankrupt before being discharged last year.
Another area of concern is Ms Simone’s connections with the development industry, when the issue is running hot in the shire.
Ms Simone’s husband Rene Licata operates property development group Manta Group. Its website does not show any projects in the shire.
During Ms Simone’s previous term on the council as an independent between 2004-08, she raised $41,045 in political donations, more than any other Sydney councillor.
At the time, Ms Simone told Fairfax Media she had been fully transparent with her donation declarations and would advise council if she was aware a donor had a development application before council.
Ms Simone declined to answer questions about her criminal case, but provided a copy of the statement of facts, agreed to by the prosecution and her defence, when she was sentenced,
The document said, needing new stock in 2008, Ms Simone contacted Stephen Zahr, the manager and franchise owner of the Rockdale branch of the Bank of Queensland, who had arranged previous loans.
Zahr introduced her to finance broker Nabil Fannous, whom she met at the Rockdale bank branch.
Fannous advised he could arrange the loan, but it involved a printer being provided.
She signed a rental agreement, which Fannous submitted to FlexiGroup.
Ms Simone was unaware of false serial numbers for the equipment in the application, and did not know Fannous received 25 per cent of the $19,798 loan amount.
Ms Simone made repayments for several years and repaid the total sum of $30,627. FlexiGroup did not incur a loss.
The facts sheet said Ms Simone had no previous criminal history and had cooperated with police.