Joel (Hohepa) Morehu-Barlow convinced friends he was a Tahitian prince A man who was well-known on the Auckland gay scene a decade ago has been arrested in Queensland, where he is alleged to have defrauded taxpayers of $21 million, while enjoying a lavish lifestyle and convincing people he was a Tahitian prince. Hohepa Morehu-Barlow, who also goes by Joel and Joseph Barlow, was arrested at a house in the Brisbane suburb of New Farm this morning. The 36-year-old is accused of siphoning off funds destined for health care charities during his time as financial manager at Queensland Health, over the past two to three years. Police have seized his passport and frozen his assets, which include artworks, several Mercedes and an inner-city apartment. Morehu-Barlow is originally from Thames, in Coromandel. He was well-known on the Auckland gay scene the early 2000s, and a regular at former gay haunts G.A.Y. and Flesh. Those who knew him at the time tell GayNZ.com he would drive Ferraris and shop at Louis Vuitton in Sydney, while posting pictures of himself living a "rich and famous lifestyle" online. He claimed to be a Tahitian prince, something he also told his current lawyer and friend, Nick Smart. "Everyone in Brisbane, from every shop he shopped at, believed he was from the royal family," his lawyer and friend Nick Smart has told the Queensland Sunday Mail. Smart said people had wondered how the New Zealander could afford his lifestyle. He favoured Louis Vuitton suits, flew friends around the country to social events and held a birthday party at a Brisbane nightclub last year for 100 guests. His waterfront apartment in the fashionable New Farm neighbourhood, which he moved into only a fortnight ago, reportedly has three bedrooms, five bathrooms, a wine cellar and a private pool. The royal connection was "the only explanation I was given that explained everything ... like the magic bullet for the lifestyle, that's why he could do it", Smart said. "To be frank, we've all been duped, and I feel the most stupid of everyone." Morehu-Barlow made regular appearances in the social pages of Queensland newspapers and featured in a list of the state's top 50 most stylish people last year. You can discuss this New Zealand gay community news story in the GayNZ.com Forum.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 12th December 2011 - 11:39am