Trio accused of $71 million fraud appear in court
‘The allegations are very serious’: A local judge has imposed strict conditions on three people charged with defrauding the Commonwealth of $71 million. What the court heard.
A trio of Territorians charged with defrauding the Commonwealth of $71 million have all been granted bail in their first appearance in court.
Michael Buckley, 41, Dallas Adrian Wynne, 48, and his wife Natalie, aged 40 are accused of conspiring together to influence the allocation of building contracts to M+J Builders and a subsidiary company that it owned.
The trio have been in custody since Friday.
Their names were officially added to the court list less than an hour before they appeared before Judge Jonathan Bortoli on Monday morning.
More than a dozen family and friends across both families took their seats in the body of the court to support their loved ones.
Also in attendance was a strong media presence.
The NT News, ABC, SBS, Sky News and AP News sent a court reporter each, with camera crews also in attendance.
Mr Buckley was the first to show face, represented by Peter Maley who tabled an application for bail.
No pleas were entered.
The court heard the prosecution would not oppose bail providing strict conditions were adhered to.
Sitting in the dock, Mr Buckley kept his head down as Judge Bortoli took time to read through the allegations and proposed bail plan.
“I’ve taken my client through these conditions,” Mr Maley added.
After a few minutes, Judge Bortoli addressed the businessman directly.
“Mr Buckley, your lawyer and the crown have obviously done some work on negotiating some (bail) conditions,” he said.
“They’re fairly strict and are so for a reason because having looked through the statement of alleged facts, the allegations are very serious.”
Judge Bortoli noted investigations were ongoing and the matter had some distance ahead of it.
“The matter is likely to go to the Supreme Court,” he noted.
Judge Bortoli issued Mr Buckley his lengthy list of conditions.
Bail conditions
- To be of good behaviour;
- To live at an approved residence;
- Report to police once a week;
- Appear at court as directed;
- Surrender their passport and not to apply for a new one;
- Not to leave the Northern Territory without the consent of the AFP;
- Not to use or be in possession of more than one mobile telephone service and SIM card – and to provide the password or PIN code of that phone to the OIC;
- Not to use any encrypted device or means of communications, including, but not limited to, Whatsapp, Snapchat, Signal or Telegram;
- To comply with any reasonable request by police to present and unlock their mobile phone to facilitate inspection;
- Not to approach or communicate with any prosecution witness or a person of interest by any means, including the Wynne couple;
- Commit a $10,000 bail payment.
Following Mr Buckley’s matter, Ms Wynne, followed by her husband, also went before Judge Bortoli.
The couple were represented by Richard Bryson, who told the court his married clients were also seeking bail.
No pleas were entered.
Similar to Mr Buckley’s matter, prosecutor Ingrid Ibbett said the crown was content providing strong bail conditions were imposed.
As such, both Mr and Ms Wynne were granted bail with the same lengthy conditions as their co-accused.
The only difference was that they are not to contact both Mr Buckley and his wife: Jessica Buckley.
Ms Buckley has not been arrested in connection to the alleged fraud and it is not suggested she has engaged in any wrongdoing.
Judge Bortoli moved all three matters to February 17, 2026, for a preliminary examination mention.
An hour later, Mr Bryson led the Wynne’s from the courthouse to an awaiting vehicle.
As media snapped their cameras, Mr Wynne attempted to shield his wife’s face with a jumper.
Minutes later, Mr Buckley took the same route flanked by family members.
Business as usual
While M+J Builders business co-owner, Michael Buckley, faced court on a drizzly Monday morning, at the office in Winnellie, Darwin, it appeared as though it was business as usual.
Staff in branded t-shirts were seen going to and from the office and reception at the business hub off Coonawarra Road.
The yard gates were open with the usual hustle and bustle of M+J Builders vehicles seen hitting the road.
According to the business page on LinkedIn, the company has over 50 employees.
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Originally published as Trio accused of $71 million fraud appear in court
