Melbourne professor details bizarre encounter with serial Geelong impersonator Kurt Reiter

A high profile professor has detailed a bizarre interaction with a serial conman previously jailed for fraud, who made claims regarding a former Qantas boss and a pop superstar.

Former Liberal candidate and serial impostor Kurt Reiter.

A high profile professor has spoken of a bizarre interaction with a serial impersonator, previously jailed for fraud-related offences, who claimed he was friends with former Qantas boss Alan Joyce and was affiliated with pop star, Pink

Emails attributed to former Bellarine Liberal candidate Kurt Reiter, who was previously convicted for multiple offences including impersonating a lawyer, were also sent claiming he was “in the middle of about seven defamation cases”.

The claims come despite a letter sent to Mr Reiter by the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner (VLSBC) in 2021 about allegations of unqualified legal practise.

Mr Reiter has claimed to be affiliated with several major music artists, including Pink, it is alleged.

The distinguished professor, who did not want to be named, said she met the man claiming to be Kurt Reiter in transit last year.

“He started chatting to me and he was very entertaining,” she said.

“He told me he was a lawyer and was going to work on a case, and that he knew the CEO of Qantas and he worked for a bunch of singers.

“The way he presented himself was that he was in the mix and directly interacting with all these artists.”

In a follow up email to her by “Dr Kurt Reiter” following the chance encounter, allegedly sent in February 2023, he indicated he could arrange tickets to see Pink, and referred to her as “Alicia”.

The global superstar’s real name is Alecia Moore.

“He mentioned Pink and I think Madonna as well,” the professor said.

“I then did some research and learned he was just making up all these stories.

“He’s a fraud.”

Mr Reiter denied the claims when contacted by this masthead.

He also stated the VLSBC had closed his file and “there has been no need to further investigate me”.

The alleged incident is said to have occurred less than two months after a man claiming to be

Kurt Reiter was busted trying to gain backstage access to The Killers’ Geelong show by claiming he was affiliated with the band and other major music artists.

This man, who said he was Kurt Reiter and worked for bands, was kicked out of A Day on The Green in 2022.

He also denied those allegations in December 2022.

While the professor simply “brushed off” her interaction with the man, she said it was important for others to be aware of the behaviour.

“I think there should be some sort of registry for people to look up and see who else people like this have lied to,” she said.

“It’s made me think twice about who I talk to, or who I give my business card to, that’s for sure.”

A VLSBC spokesman said: “Mr Reiter is known to us and we have taken appropriate regulatory action in relation to him in the past”.

“In Victoria, it is a criminal offence for an unqualified person to undertake legal work, or falsely claim that they are qualified to engage in legal practice,” he said.

Mr Reiter was jailed for three months in 2017 after he pleaded guilty to obtaining property by deception, dealing in the proceeds of crime and obtaining financial advantage by deception.

Kurt Reiter during his time as Bellarine Liberal candidate.

The former Liberal candidate, who almost toppled Lisa Neville at the 2010 election, claimed in 2017 that he lost the seat by less than 300 votes.

Victorian Electoral Commission records show Ms ­Neville won by 1087 votes on a two-party preferred basis.

A year earlier, in 2016, Mr Reiter was fined $5000 after pleading guilty to charges of posing as a lawyer.

This masthead reported Mr Reiter was warned several times by the VLSBC to stop promoting himself as a legal practitioner on his website kurtreiter.com.au.

The court heard he referred to himself as “Justice Doctor Kurt Reiter” and that he was an expert in all areas of law despite not having any legal qualifications.

Originally published as Melbourne professor details bizarre encounter with serial Geelong impersonator Kurt Reiter