Adelaide couple Robert Wayne Collins and Veronika Mohor ordered to pay $400,000 in compensation over ‘false’ email, investment claims
AN ADELAIDE couple who allegedly forged emails from the US Secretary of State, a Middle Eastern prince and a global banker have been ordered to pay more than $400,000 compensation.
A COUPLE who allegedly forged emails from the US Secretary of State, a Middle Eastern prince and a global banker have been ordered to pay more than $400,000 compensation.
On Tuesday, the District Court ordered Robert Wayne Collins and Veronika Mohor repay 11 people who assert they were deceived by claims of foreign charity and US investments.
However, payment of that compensation has been stayed so the couple can appeal — and is further complicated by criminal fraud charges filed against them.
Outside court, Julie Djunaedi — who sued for $50,000 — urged the public to be cautious about investment schemes.
“We thought we were investing in American properties ... we’d like to tell everyone ‘just beware, don’t let it be done to you’,” Mrs Djunaedi said.
In their statement of claim, the Djunaedis and their co-plaintiffs asked the court to award them $385,750 in damages, plus interest and costs.
They asserted that, in February 2014, Collins, 73, and Mohor, 62, claimed they “intended to reopen a bank” in Papua New Guinea to “fund charitable infrastructure projects”.
They further asserted that, a month later, the Hackham couple claimed to have access to “blue chip, cream of the crop, high return” investment properties in New York City.
The co-plaintiffs asserted that they each entered into investment arrangements for one of the schemes, only to fall victim to “misrepresentation and fraud”.
In court transcripts viewed by The Advertiser, barrister David Riggall, for the plaintiffs, said Collins and Mohor supported their deception through fake emails and websites.
“There were a very significant number of other emails which the defendants also sent, but not in their own names,” he said.
“Rather, they were the names of a variety of exotic characters such as John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, and Alex Bowler, who’s the Swiss Bank president.
“Another is from Sultan Bin Mohammed in Saudi Arabia.”
Mr Riggall said Mr Collins had falsely claimed to have a law degree but “didn’t even bother” to put up a defence case to the claim, warranting judgment in favour of the plaintiffs.
On Tuesday, with the consent of all parties, Judge Sydney Tilmouth ordered the couple pay the plaintiffs $423,656.25, but stayed that judgment pending the appeal.
As Collins and Mohor left court, they were confronted by plaintiff Colin Preston, who sued for $43,000.
“The appeal is ridiculous ... it wouldn’t surprise me if he went to the High Court,” he said.
“We believed what he told us was good information, good investing, he had facts to back that up, relationships with banks and overseas investors.”
Collins and Mohor will face the Adelaide Magistrates Court in January, charged with multiple counts of false dealing with documents and money laundering.