The former general manager of an exclusive Melbourne women's club took cocaine to de-stress from work, while ripping off his employer for more than $350,000.
Peter Stratton, 47, falsified invoices so money went into his bank account.
His lawyer also said he was "used to nice things" and so had nearly $100,000 in furniture, including an $11,000 chair, delivered to his home on the Lyceum Club's purse.
He pleaded guilty in the Victorian County Court on Wednesday to four charges including making a false document and obtaining financial advantage by deception from the women-only club between January 2011 to June 2018.
Stratton made 52 fraudulent invoices to a consultancy company in the seven years to June 2018 totalling $354,820, the court was told.
He falsified most of the invoices while project-managing the club's near-$9 million renovations which finished last year.
The court was told Stratton used the money to help fund his daily cocaine habit, which began during the works.
"He was using it daily, about $200 to $300 a day," the prosecutor said.
Stratton falsified another nine invoices for furniture worth $96,684.65 between February and June last year.
There was a limited-edition chair worth about $11,000, a $7000 coat stand and $600 cushion in his haul, paid for by the club.
The items were delivered to his unfurnished place as "he was used to nice things" but was going through a divorce, his lawyer Philip Dunn QC said.
"The offending is relatively simple ... as the invoices were paid to his bank account and furniture delivered to his house," Mr Dunn said.
"He is buying ridiculous furniture for this modest apartment."
There was an anonymous tip-off about the furniture fraud before the other invoices were detected by chance on review, the court was told.
Police later seized 39 pieces of furniture from Stratton in May 2019, a court document states.
He told police he was under a lot of pressure at work, taking drugs, drinking and felt the club owed him for the stress he was under due to the renovations, the court was told.
Stratton has depression and mental health issues, his lawyer said.
"(Stratton) said his goodbye to his children - he knows he is going to jail," Mr Dunn said, asking for a non-parole period to be set.
Stratton is expected to be sentenced to jail when he returns to court next week.
Australian Associated Press
