Alleged Auckland Pride Centre fraudster Martin van der Reit faces up to seven years imprisonment if found guilty of charges laid against him last week, relating to nearly $40,000 worth of missing funds. Van der Reit, who was first arrested on February 21, now faces seventeen charges of using a document for pecuniary gain, and one charge of perverting the course of justice. Each charge carries a maximum seven-year sentence, and police believe they have a strong case. Detective Constable Richard Morgan of the Auckland Commercial Fraud Squad says van der Reit has been released on bail, but his passport has been seized to prevent him from leaving the country. Morgan says the complexity of the investigation and a backlog of other cases accounts for the lengthy time taken to make an arrest. There has been a media blackout at the troubled Auckland Pride Centre since March last year when GayNZ.com broke the story of alleged fraudulent activity. Before speaking to its lawyers, who advised no further media contact, a Pride Centre spokesman said they were out of pocket by up to $30,000 and may have to close. Morgan confirms that he also advised the Pride Centre not to talk to the media. “I advised them to keep it close to themselves, as I had a bit of work to do before making charges,” he says. “Now that has been done, it's before the court, and I really don't want anyone saying anything before this matter is resolved. I don't want it in the media before it goes to court, in fairness to Martin van der Reit and the police case.” The Pride Centre, which relies mainly on grants for its operations, found its funding sources drying up in the months before the fraud allegations surfaced. Since the police investigation began, the Centre was forced to leave its K Rd premises and share office space with Auckland Gay Chris Banks - 17th March 2005