( CNN ) -- A New Zealand gas station owner turned international fugitive has been sentenced to four years and seven months in prison after stealing millions of dollars accidentally deposited into his bank account . Hui `` Leo '' Gao , dubbed the `` accidental millionaire , '' sparked a global manhunt after fleeing New Zealand with his girlfriend Kara Hurring in April 2009 . Hurring was sentenced to nine months ' home detention for her part in the heist , according to CNN affiliate TV NZ . The 33-year-old was also ordered to pay back $ 9,615 ( NZ $ 11,830 ) at the rate of $ 60 ( NZ $ 75 ) a week , the broadcaster said . Gao 's journey from the forecourt to fugitive began in April 2009 when Australian bank Westpac accidentally gave him access to $ 7 million ( NZ $ 10 million ) . Gao had applied for overdraft financing for the gas station he co-owned with his mother in Rotorua , New Zealand , court documents said . The bank approved his application with a $ 100,000 limit , however while inputting the figure a bank employee made a clerical error and gave him access to 100 times the intended amount . Gao discovered the error the next day and told his girlfriend , Kara Hurring that he was `` fâ€ ” ing rich '' and had millions of dollars , court documents said . In less than one month , the couple withdrew $ 6.8M from Gao 's bank account and transferred it to accounts in Hong Kong and China . In late April 2009 , Gao fled to Hong Kong where he was joined a few days later by Hurring . Before leaving New Zealand , the couple had been living together in Rotorua with Hurring 's six-year-old daughter , court documents showed . In early May , the bank became aware of the error and alerted authorities who issued an Interpol alert for the missing couple . Hurring spent almost two years on the run before returning to New Zealand in February 2011 to renew her daughter 's passport , TV NZ reported . In May , she was found guilty of 28 counts of theft and two counts of money laundering , according to court records . Gao was arrested in Hong Kong in September 2011 and extradited to New Zealand two months later . In June , he pleaded guilty to seven charges of theft . Westpac , the Australian bank , recovered about $ 2.9M from the couple 's New Zealand accounts , but has yet to recoup the remaining $ 3.8M . Crown Prosecutor Fletcher Pilditch told the court the bank was continuing to dedicate considerable resource to recovering the stolen money , TV NZ said .
New Zealand 's 'accidental millionaire ' jailed for bank account theft . Hui `` Leo '' Gao sentenced to four years , seven months after global manhunt . Gao 's girlfriend Kara Hurring sentenced to nine months ' home detention . Couple fled NZ after bank error gave Gao access to NZ $ 10 million .