Cocaine trafficker claims lawyer took cash payments

Criminal law firm partner Adam Magill has been committed to trial for fraud and money laundering, with claims he took large cash payments from clients.

Lawyer Adam Magill outside court. He has been committed to trial.

A restaurateur turned cocaine trafficker has told a court of seeing a bag of $30,000 cash being handed over to a Brisbane lawyer charged with fraud and money laundering.

Daniel Milos told Brisbane Magistrates Court it was “common knowledge’’ that former criminal law firm partner Adam Magill had a reputation for taking cash payments from clients.

Magill was today committed to stand trial in Brisbane District Court on five charges, including money laundering, defrauding Legal Aid Queensland and fraudulently falsifying records.

The charges resulted from a Crime and Corruption Commission investigation into his then law firm, Lawler Magill.

Co-accused Piet Luan “Bruce” Ta and Lam Quoc “Chops” Ta were each committed to stand trial on one charge each of fraud and money laundering

Daniel Bernard Milos

Milos, called by the Crown, was questioned by Magill’s counsel, Lincoln Crowley QC, about a statement before the court in which he said: “I know that Adam has a reputation for taking cash.”

He said he knew that it was “common knowledge” and “hearsay’’ that Magill took cash from his clients, saying: “Everyone pays cash.”

“I’ve given him cash as well, mates have given him cash, as well, so it’s common knowledge,” Milos said.

“I speak to a lot of people, I run a restaurant, I know a lot of people, it’s common knowledge.”

But when Mr Crowley pressed Milos on which friends had allegedly paid cash to Magill, he would not reveal names, saying: “I’m sure you’ll find out”.

Milos last year pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine from his then restaurant, Mariosarti in Toowong, 10 counts of cocaine supply and drug possession.

At the committal hearing, Milos was questioned about a time he said he was having drinks and dinner at his restaurant with “Bruce” Ta when a man dropped off bundles of $5000 and $10,000 in a shopping bag.

He said he and Bruce later took a cab to Honey B’s, a Brisbane strip club, and met Magill.

Milos said in his statement that staff started bringing out bottles of vodka and they had a few more drinks, and that cocaine was used.

When asked if he had any cocaine, Milos told Mr Crowley: “ I don’t think so. I don’t really enjoy it. I get paranoid and I have to leave.”

Milos said Bruce gave Adam a Louis Vuitton bag with $30,000 cash in it, but they did not speak much about it as “they both knew what it was for”.

Milos admitted that he did not hear anything said between Bruce and Adam.

“Adam then emptied the bag of cash into his suit jacket,” Milos said in his statement.

He also said that on another occasion he witnessed Bruce Ta pay Magill cash of “roughly $170,000”.

But when questioned he admitted he was not certain of the amount, as he didn’t count it.

He could not say when or where it had occurred, but said he thought it was on the day of “Chops’s sentence or the night before’’, referring to Lam Ta’s sentence.

Milos said he remembered “a bit of a scurry” between Bruce, Chops and another person “to get the money together for Adam”.

“I just remember there was a bit of a kerfuffle to get the coin in order,” Milos said.

In his statement, Milos said Bruce had said he had already given Adam $30,000 and he then gave him the balance, because Adam was upset.

He said as Bruce drove with him into the city, to Magill’s office, Bruce showed him a shoebox containing $50 and $100 notes, bundled with rubber bands.

Milos said Bruce said to him: “Look at this s..t. I’ve got to give this to that f...ing lawyer’’.

When Mr Crowley put to him that nothing was said to him about what the money was for, he said: “I knew it was for legal fees.’’