Inside the deception of Aaron Parsons, Tanya Pluckhahn’s fraud

The devious plans behind two people who defrauded friends and family with fake cancer scares, hit men and a swindle scandal to an unsuspecting music star can be revealed. FULL STORY

Aaron John Parsons (not pictured) and Tanya Pluckhahn (pictured) have pleaded guilty to fraud. Pictures: Contributed/Jorina Maureschat

More details have emerged of the dastardly fraud committed by a Mount Coolum couple who swindled friends and family of tens of thousands of dollars in separate scams, one involving a popular singer.

The swindle by Aaron John Parsons, 50, and Tanya Pluckhahn, 47, was laid out in court documents tendered in Maroochydore District Court after the pair pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud last week.

The statement of facts detailed their deception, which could spell terms of imprisonment for the pair after Parsons was remanded in custody while Pluckhahn was allowed to continue on bail.

During their first sentence hearing last week, Crown prosecutor Rebecca Marks told the court Pluckhahn defrauded people of $69,195 in total over a period of two years and Parsons defrauded people of $396,335 in total over three years.

Court documents state Parsons and Pluckhahn were in a relationship during the offending but before this were involved in an venture called “Business Commandos”, which was owned by the Mount Coolum man.

After succumbing to financial pressures, the pair took out a series of legitimate loans in 2015 from five people who were either friends, business associates or neighbours, which totalled $397,000.

The prosecution stated in court documents they intended to repay these loans however from late 2015 the pair did not believe they could do this.

From here, Parsons and Pluckhahn engaged in a series of dishonest transactions involving a music investment scheme.

The music scam

The fraud was marketed to each of the victims in similar terms, where the couple said they were financially involved in the music career of popular Sunshine Coast singer Alys Ffion, who has opened for notable artists such as Tina Arena, Missy Higgins and Reece Mastin. Ms Ffion was not aware of the offending and was not charged with any wrongdoing.

Musician Alys Ffion.

The victims were told if they transferred money to the pair and made an investment into the singer’s career, they would be paid back “generous” interest returns along with their initial capital after several months.

To give their ruse legitimacy, they did pay back some investment returns however, this was sourced from other victim investors or previous legitimate loans.

These payments were sparse and inconsistent with the Mount Coolum residents continually proffering excuses when they stopped giving investment returns.

These included tales of the pair being ill, their parents being sick, how Parsons had died by suicide, that Parsons’ accounts were frozen and the music company in America was closed.

One of the more bizarre excuses was that a “hit man” was outside Parsons and Pluckhahn’s home.

It began with the first victim meeting Parsons at a franchising exhibition in 2011 where the 50-year-old was running “The Business Commandos”. Court documents state Parsons already owed $10,000 to this man.

He told the first victim of his involvement with Ms Ffion and the investment venture, when in reality Parsons knew the singer and her manager on a social basis. They are not accused of wrongdoing.

The Mount Coolum man falsely told the first victim he had already invested half a million dollars into it and was successful.

He promised the victim would receive weekly interest returns of 25 per cent until the end of the contract when the full investment would be repaid. Parsons said the profits from songs she sold would be passed onto investors.

The pair promised high interest returns to their victims. Picture: NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

Based on what he thought was the truth, the first victim took out a mortgage on his home to borrow $120,000 which was transferred to Parsons.

The first victim then received six $500 interest payments from 2015 to 2016, however these were sourced from other prior loans from other people. These eventually stopped.

The second and third victims, a married couple, one of whom started a business with Parsons called “The Internet Commandos” were also told about investing in a music scheme in America during 2016, where the 50-year-old again promised high interest returns and a refund of their initial capital.

The two victims sent Parsons $35,000 over two payments. They only received an initial $1250 repayment.

The fourth victim met Parsons at another franchise convention in 2014 and gave out legitimate loans to Pluckhahn and Parsons in 2015 and 2016.

She was contacted by Pluckhahn in 2016, who told her about their exclusive music scheme involving Ms Ffion.

The 47-year-old convinced her to transfer $10,000.

The same spiel on regular high interest repayments and capital turn was given.

The 47-year-old convinced the fourth victim the $10,000 would help her “balance the books” on the original loan she had been given.

In a bizarre turn of events, Pluckhahn took on the alias of a fake lawyer named Jodie Henderson who told the fourth victim on the phone repeatedly why her money had not been repaid.

The victims were duped out of thousands of dollars. Picture: iStock

The fifth and sixth victim were married neighbours of the couple, who also gave Pluckhahn and Parsons legitimate loans.

The 47-year-old was able to coax the two victims into the music scheme, and showed them videos of the singer and stated “you can have the life we have”.

Court documents showed the victims transferred $40,000 to Pluckhahn’s account.

The couple lured another married couple into their web of lies who also made a series of legitimate loans to Pluckhahn and Parsons, with the couple marketing the same music investment scheme.

Pluckhahn outside court after her part heard sentence.

These victims transferred $3695 to the couple but did not receive any interest payments at all.

The facts state while some of the money was put towards the scheme, it was clear it had no legitimate chance of returning dividends which were promised.

The fake kidnapping

Pluckhahn admitted to her own separate fraud where she told a series of lies to an extended family member about how her partner Parsons had been kidnapped.

The facts state the 47-year-old called the woman and said she needed $5000 to pay for his release. This victim sent $5500 to her bank account.

This victim ended up travelling interstate back to Mount Coolum, where Pluckhahn read aloud a fake message from Parsons.

The victim sent a further $10,000 to the Mount Coolum woman. It was not alleged Parsons was involved in the scheme.

The fake cancer diagnosis and imaginary legal case

Parsons meanwhile defrauded four other victims of $241,335 through a series of schemes on people who were friends or co-workers. It was not alleged Pluckhahn was involved in these scams.

He falsely told other victims he had cancer to elicit payments for “medical expenses”.

The 50-year-old them his money had been frozen and hired another lawyer named Peter Shields, where he was in the process of obtaining compensation. In reality he never hired a Mr Shields.

Parsons asked them for help to pay his legal feels which would allow him to pay back their initial capital for the music investment scheme.

The 50-year-old stepped up his fraud by pretending to be Ms Henderson, the imaginary lawyer once again, where he used this persona to continue the facade that various court and legal fees needed to be paid before they could recoup the money they gave.

The pair pleaded guilty in court.

These victims borrowed money from friends to help pay Parsons’ fake legal fees.

He later told them they would be able to obtain $1m after a child support matter settled, however his fake lawyer Ms Henderson had lost her practising licence. Parsons then pretended to be the other fake lawyer Mr Shields to continue the charade.

Between 2018 and 2019, the two victims sent Parsons $117,910 across 105 transactions.

The Mount Coolum Man duped a close friend of $21,480 after falsely telling him he was going to sue the Australian Child Support Agency for compensation. He said he would return the investment with interest. There was no legal case.

Another victim, who Parsons met at a mining camp in North Queensland in 2018, was told the Mount Coolum man was going to sue the same child support agency. To do this he told them he needed funds to invest in his legal case, but was sure to receive a large amount of money in compensation.

Between 2018 and 2019 the victim sent $93,745 to Parsons across 101 transactions. The Mount Coolum man manufactured scenarios about legal fees, health concerns, and his imaginary lawyers Ms Henderson and Mr Shields, where on occasions he would contact this victim through the fake personas to keep up the charade.

A final victim, who Parsons also met at the mining camp, was lured in the child support scam, and transferred $8200.

The facts state their lies came tumbling down after police received a complaint in 2019 and in December that year officers raided their home. Pluckhahn and Parsons were home along with singer Ms Ffion. She later told police she was completely unaware of any music investment scheme.

The victims were recently compensated in full by Parsons and Pluckhahn.

Following their pleas of guilty last week, the pair will learn their fate at a date to be set by Judge Long.