Christian Marshman, Adriana Foti, James Rattray: Geelong’s scammers and fraudsters revealed
From lawyers to professionals working in government agencies, Geelong has seen its fair share of scammers come before the courts for deception offences. SEE WHO MADE THE LIST
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“Selfish” and “greedy” scammers have swindled tens of thousands of dollars from their workplaces, insurance companies and vulnerable victims, often using the stolen money to fund luxurious lifestyles.
A former health care chief executive officer, an insurance worker and the ex-general manager of a fertilising company are some just some of the offenders who have been before Geelong courts recently, charged with theft and deception offences.
Former TAC employee Christman Marshman transferred more than $64,000 of public money into personal bank accounts to fund his “out of control” gambling lifestyle.
Serial fraudster Adriana Foti raided mailboxes in Geelong and Melbourne to steal bank cards and financial documents, which she used to fleece victims of about $25,000 and, in the Geelong Magistrates Court, was jailed for 18 months.
Earlier this year, Stacey Lee Bartolo, a mother working for Services Australia, was forced to pay back $12,000 after she falsely claimed Covid disaster payments.
But perhaps the most surprising offender to come before the court was a former prominent, now disgraced, lawyer Kevin Roache.
Victorian County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd sentenced Roache for stealing $400,000 from dead clients.
“You come before the court having destroyed your reputation and legacy,” Judge Kidd said.
Judge Kidd labelled the offending “abhorrent”, saying it involved a “significant breach of professional trust”.
“You knew the offending was wrong,” he said.
“Your conduct was sophisticated and systematic.”
The number of deception offences recorded in Greater Geelong last financial year increased by 25 per cent, Crime Statistics Agency data has revealed.
The data found 1267 deception offences were recorded in the region in the 12 months to June 30.
The majority of those offences involved the charge of obtaining property by deception, with 1141 offences recorded.
Forgery and counterfeiting (82), stating false information (25), professional malpractice and misrepresentation (10) and other deception offences (9), made up the remaining charges.
A police spokesman said overall deception-related offences across Greater Geelong had decreased by 28.9 per cent since 2018.
“The overwhelming majority of crimes decreased during the pandemic and deception offences were no different,” he said.
ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said the true cost of scams was much more than a dollar figure as “they also cause emotional distress to victims, their families and businesses”.
Who has been before the courts for deception?
Adrian Marion
Adrian Marion fraudulently obtained more than $120,000 from the Victorian workers’ compensation scheme.
The court heard that in November 2020, Marion lodged a claim with WorkSafe for a stress-related injury while working as general manager for Moolap fertiliser manufacturer FHF Australia.
Marion told his doctor FHF was “late in paying him” and the financial stress was “affecting his health”.
His claim was accepted and weekly compensation payments began.
Christian Marshman
The former Transport Accident Commission (TAC) employee transferred more than $64,000 into personal bank accounts to fund his “out of control” gambling lifestyle.
Christian Marshman, pleaded guilty in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court to more than 40 charges of deception.
Marshman’s lawyer told the court his client’s debt was incurred exclusively between 2021 and 2022 because Marshman was involved in a TAB betting arrangement.
Adriana Foti
Adriana Foti – a serial fraudster who raided mailboxes in Geelong and Melbourne to steal bank cards and financial documents that she used to fleece victims of about $25,000 – was jailed for 18 months.
When police swooped on Foti’s Norlane home on January 9 this year they found ID documents in the names of 71 people, which officers said she intended to use to commit crime.
The Geelong Magistrates Court heard Foti ran a “planned enterprise” by stealing identity documents from mailboxes at apartment blocks; using the documents to pose as bank workers to access victims’ accounts; then using the accounts and cards linked to them to transfer money, pay bills and apply for credit.
Gerrard Sheehan
A former healthcare CEO, who said he was in a car accident because he swerved to avoid hitting a kangaroo, falsely claimed almost $70,000 in benefits.
Gerrard Sheehan, a former chief executive of Timboon and District Healthcare Service, pleaded guilty in Geelong Magistrates Court to fraudulently obtaining benefits by falsely claiming he was injured in an accident.
On February 25, 2019, Sheehan sent text messages to his employer telling them he had been involved in a car accident.
James Rattray
The joint director of a small business in Lara used almost $40,000 on a company credit card to fund his lifestyle.
James Rattray pleaded guilty in the Geelong Magistrates Court to obtaining financial advantage by deception.
Police prosecutor Kerrie Moroney said during the 12 months between October 2016 and October 2017, Rattray used $38,568 for non-business related expenses.
He was fined $15,000 and no conviction was recorded.
Brady Gwynn
A man who was sick of being “undervalued, underpaid, and overworked” took matters into his own hands and tricked customers into paying him thousands of dollars.
Brady Gwynn pleaded guilty in the Geelong Magistrates Court to obtaining property by deception and falsifying documents.
A statement of court facts said Gwynn previously worked for a timber company in South Geelong, where he was employed as an internal sales consultant.
As part of his role, he would control customer quotes and invoices, send quotes, arrange payment and also prepare relevant paperwork to confirm purchases for delivery.
Kevin Roache
A former partner at a prominent Geelong law firm has been jailed for at least a year after he admitted to stealing $400,000 from dead clients’ estates.
Kevin Roache pleaded guilty to taking money from the trusts of two deceased estates during his time at Coulter Roache – now Coulter Legal – and creating a paper trail to cover his tracks.
Victorian County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd sentenced Roache to 28 months’ imprisonment with a non-parole period of one year.
“You come before the court having destroyed your reputation and legacy,” he said.
Stacey Bartolo
A Services Australia employee who falsely claimed Covid disaster payments will have to pay back more than $12,000 in compensation for submitting incorrect documents, which included unfounded claims she worked at Cotton On.
Stacey Bartolo falsely claimed thousands of dollars of Centrelink payments over an 11-month period.
Her offending came to light when an internal data-matching program identified her as a full-time Services Australia employee who claimed payments despite not taking any leave entitlements.
Laura Jubb
A Geelong woman who stole $28,000 by using fraudulent identification cards to apply for loans avoided jail.
Laura Jubb, who was living in Herne Hill at the time but has moved to NSW, pleaded guilty in Geelong Magistrates Court to obtaining financial advantage by deception.
In November 2019, a co-accused woman applied for a fraudulent loan on behalf of Jubb, then Jubb walked into a Geelong Good Guys store with a driver’s licence that had been altered to show her image.
Rachelle Carter
A Geelong woman avoided a lengthy jail term for obtaining more than $40,000 from Centrelink by lying about her income.
Rachelle Carter appeared at the Geelong Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to falsely declaring her income to dishonestly obtain financial advantage in the amount of $40,311.28.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions submitted that between May 2017 and January 2021, the mother-of-nine made 95 false declarations to secure the disability support pension.
On those 95 occasions, the prosecutor told the court that Carter lodged her income as $13,914.85 when it was actually $108.450.27.
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