$250k cash in garbage bag: ex lawyer’s claims in Bosscher fraud trial

An ex-lawyer has given evidence at a former colleague’s fraud trial that he collected huge sums of cash from clients, including $250,000 in a garbage bag to pay for a murder trial.

Michael Bosscher outside the Supreme Court. Picture: Liam Kidston

A former lawyer has given evidence he collected huge sums of cash from clients that he split with his colleagues, including one transaction in which he was handed $250,000 in a garbage bag to pay for a murder trial.

Timothy Meehan took the witness stand on Monday at the trial of his former colleague Michael Frederick Bosscher, who is accused of overseeing an arrangement in which he and other staff allegedly received 81 cash payments between 2011 and 2016.

He has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of fraudulently producing records and one charge of fraud in excess of $30,000.

Mr Meehan on Monday gave evidence alleging that Mr Bosscher had proposed the arrangement to take cash payments, and detailed how they would split the money in person, or send text messages saying “keyboard” or “top drawer” when they had left cash in each other’s office.

Tim Meehan leaving Supreme Court of QLD. Picture: Liam Kidston

The court was also shown text messages allegedly sent between lawyers including one saying “presents under your keyboards boys” and another that read “more your way on Monday”.

The jury heard Mr Meehan was no longer a lawyer but had first worked with Bosscher at another law firm named Ryan and Bosscher until the firm went into liquidation in 2009, forcing both men into bankruptcy.

Mr Bosscher then started a new firm, Bosscher Lawyers Pty Ltd where Meehan joined as a shareholder and also worked as a lawyer.

Mr Meehan said at the time, he would have expected a salary “north of $150,000 per annum” but said the bankruptcy meant the men would have to pay 50 cents of every dollar they earned over $80,000 to the bankruptcy trustee.

Crown Prosecutor Greg Cummings asked if Bosscher raised a proposal in relation to that.

“He did, he suggested that we set our salaries at $70,000 per annum and that we have our clients pay cash and that we share that cash effectively as a top up,” Mr Meehan said.

“Not all clients, it was effectively whoever you could get to pay cash paid cash, others paid in traditional means by way of credit card payment, debit card payment or cheque.”

Asked what happened to the cash once it was received, Mr Meehan said it would depend on how much was paid by a client, with the payments spanning from “a couple of hundred dollars to many, many thousands of dollars”.

“Normally what would happen is there would be a meeting about it, and a meeting doesn’t necessarily mean it was a meeting in person, it might be a telephone call or a message, and there was a discussion as to how that was to be split,” he said.

He said sometimes the money was split three ways between himself, Bosscher, and another lawyer Alex Jones, and that other times some or all would be deposited into the firm’s trust account.

Michael Bosscher, Supreme Court of QLD. Picture: Liam Kidston

Asked who would decide on the split, Mr Meehan said “in the ordinary course, Michael”.

“Sometimes we would split cash multiple times a week, sometimes it would be a number of weeks in between cash being received,” he said.

Mr Meehan detailed a number of cases in which he recalled receiving cash payments under “the arrangement”, including multiple payments from a man named Paul Luu who paid for legal representation for himself and other associates.

He said Mr Luu had paid either $100,000 or $150,000 for a relative’s legal fees, paid in two instalments, the first of which “one of his runners” delivered to Mr Meehan at his office.

He said he collected the balance “fairly late” on a Friday night at an address of one of Mr Luu’s associates.

“I’d been in contact with Michael to tell him that I was going out there, considering the business that Paul was in I kept in contact with Michael because I was concerned for my safety going to an address of unknown people late at night on a Friday,” Mr Meehan said.

“But I received the payment in a Salvation Army bag and the next time I was in the office I delivered that to Michael.”

Asked what business Mr Luu was in, he said “the large scale of drugs”.

Mr Meehan said some of that money was held on trust and the rest of the money was “divided between Michael, Alex and me”.

“On your understanding of the law, particularly the Legal Profession Act 2007, even though there was no cost agreement, what should have happened to all of that money,?” Mr Cummings asked.

“Every single cent should have been deposited into the trust account,” Mr Meehan responded.

Mr Meehan said he recalled visiting another client Dallin James Kruithof, who was charged with murder, at the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre and told him the fee for his committal hearing would be $100,000.

“And he said he was comfortable with that fee and that his friend Paul (Luu), because Paul referred Dallin to me, would sort it out and that all I had to do was contact Paul,” Mr Meehan said.

He said he went to Mr Luu’s house at about 3.30am on a weekday morning to collect the money.

“I banged on the door a number of times but he wasn’t there, it took him a while to answer the door, and he said I’ll be back in a moment and he came back with a bag full of money.”

Mr Meehan said he was handed $100,000 in cash and “I took the money to Michael”.

“A portion of that was deposited into the trust account and the rest of it was split …(between) Michael, Alex and me,” he said.

“All of it should have gone into trust.”

He said on a later occasion, he told Mr Kruithof his Supreme Court murder trial would cost $250,000 and he again told him to speak to Mr Luu who contacted another person.

Mr Meehan said weeks later, he went to Mr Luu’s house where they waited for the third man who “attended with a garbage bag full of money”, bundled in $10,000 stacks.

He said Mr Luu took $5000 out of the bag and commented “you need to leave something for my bro when he gets out” and also took out $100 notes he could find in the bag that was predominantly made up of $50 notes.

“The rest of the money I put in the boot of my car and went to my mother in law’s house, picked up my kids, and drove home,” he said.

“After that I took $30,000 out of that bag and put in my top drawer at home and kept that for myself and then I took the balance to Michael

“Some of it was deposited into the trust and there was a split between Michael, Alex, and I.”

He said he also recalled Mr Luu giving him $3000 of cash on the morning of one court matter and “I took it back to the office and split it with Michael and Alex”.

Mr Meehan gave evidence the “splitting” of cash would take place in different offices at the firm including his own, Mr Jones’ and Mr Bosscher’s.

He told the court that other times, they would leave money in each other’s offices, under the keyboard or in the top drawer of their desk.

Mr Meehan said they would communicate the money had been left with “a simple text message saying ‘key board’ or ‘top drawer’”.

The court was also shown text messages allegedly exchanged between the lawyers.

In one instance, a message alleged to be from Bosscher said “top drawer” with a response from Mr Meehan saying “thanks mate”.

In another, Mr Jones is alleged to have written “I gave MB something to give u” and Mr Meehan replied “Amen”, “nice”, and “more your way on Monday”.

In another, Mr Jones allegedly wrote “presents under your keyboards boys”, and Mr Meehan responded “lovely”.

Mr Meehan is expected to continue giving evidence on Tuesday.