Samuel Teitzel in Brisbane court after 73 charges in crime spree

A former private schoolboy has been caught selling sugar as drugs and stealing thousands of dollars from pokies machines at community clubs across Brisbane’s south.

Samuel Teitzel stole more than $6000 from the Coorparoo RSL and Community Club.

A former Brisbane private schoolboy has faced court following a years-long, sophisticated crime spree during which he stole from his employers and used his ex-girlfriend’s information to purchase expensive items online.

Samuel John Teitzel, 30, of Norman Park appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday, March 31 and pleaded guilty to 73 offences including stealing from the Coorparoo Bowls Club, Coorparoo RSL Club, and Holland Park Sports and Community Club.

The court heard the former St Lawrence's College student was employed by the Coorparoo RSL Club in October 2017 and moved into a supervisory role in December 2017.

“Soon after he took the higher role, the defendant started accessing poker machines and printing payout slips without any lawful reasons,” police prosecutor Qi Wang said.

“He was working on 12 occasions where money was taken from the poker machine and payout slips produced by the poker machine were all signed by the defendant. He stole a total of $6160 in cash using this method.”

The Coorparoo Bowls Club. Picture: David Kapernick

On later dates, while employed by the Coorparoo Bowls Club, he committed similar offences and pocketed a total of $3810.

He commenced work in 2018 as a bar manager at the Holland Park Sports and Community Club, where he stole $10,284 from the ATM float, bar float, and pokies float.

Teitzel was also sentenced on Friday for a number of drug charges laid after police executed a search warrant at his home in 2019 and located 4ml of GHB, 0.92g of cannabis, 1.11g of meth, oxycodone, diazepam, a used meth pipe, a set of digital scales, clip seal bags, and three mobile phones he used for drug-related offences.

Ms Wang said he offered to supply people with drugs, but in fact gave them sugar.

The court heard Teitzel also committed 17 offences of fraud against various victims, including his ex-partner, where he used their information to purchase expensive items including mobile phones and computers valued at a total of $12,104.

The Holland Park Sports Club. Picture: Facebook / Holland Park Sports Club

Ms Wang said his actions were “motivated by greed”.

Teitzel’s lawyer said many of the offences before the court reflected desperate attempts by his client to fund a deep-seeded addiction to methamphetamine.

The court heard Teitzel planned to work as an apprentice sprinkler fitter and “start fresh” upon his release from custody, where he had spent the past 198 days.

Magistrate Jacqueline Payne said the “skilled fraudster” could be considered a “serious criminal” and reflected on his extensive history, drug dependency, and the sophistication of his offending when deciding an appropriate penalty.

Teitzel received a head sentence of 18 months’ jail with immediate parole and was ordered to pay restitution of $3000 to the Coorparoo RSL Club, $1500 to the Coorparoo Bowls Club, and $5000 to the Holland Park Sports and Community Club, as well as other amounts to various individuals.