Making ends meet: Husband of millionaire fraudster Melissa Caddick is back working as a hairdresser
The widower of fraudster Melissa Caddick is now living in a two-bedroom apartment and working as a hairdresser in Sydney’s eastern suburbs where he is a specialist in colour, charging $156 for a cut and style.
NSW
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Exclusive: The husband of the late Melissa Caddick is working as a hairdresser earning $150 a cut amid a continuing rift with his family.
The part-time DJ is a hairdresser making ends meet at Anthony Talbot London salon in the smart quarter of Sydney’s Rose Bay where he is a specialist in colour charging $156 for a cut and style.
His life back working as a professional stylist is unrecognisable from the extravagant lifestyle he led with the woman described as “the con artist of the century” whose money paid for his $390,000 Audi R8 V10 convertible, enabled him to dabble as a DJ from their $9.8 million mansion in Dover Heights and travel the world on luxury getaways.
Mr Koletti has always maintained he did not know of his partner’s fraudulent behaviour and he is not accused of any wrongdoing.
Mr Koletti, who met the businesswoman when she was married and he was her Sydney hairdresser, now lives with her teenage son in a small two-bedroom apartment in Vaucluse, which commands a $850 a week rent.
He has been telling friends he struggled to find work after he was left with only $1.95 in his bank account when liquidators seized his wife’s assets to help repay 72 investors she defrauded of $24 million.
“I’ve been through a lot, I just need to work,” he told the Saturday Telegraph.
“This is my life.”
Caddick was declared dead, aged 49, after the remains of her decaying foot in a trainer drifted ashore on Bournda Beach in February 2021.
Mr Koletti had maintained he never believed she was capable of defrauding family and friends and said he witnessed her working hard at the computer balancing spreadsheets and crunching numbers, but never at weekends.
Billed at Anthony Talbot London salon as having notched up more than 25 years in servicing the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Mr Koletti is also said to boast international experience in advanced bespoke cutting and colouring.
“Always focused on perfect results, Anthony gives one hundred per cent of his time, skills and accumulated wisdom to consistently achieve results,” the social media advert states.
“His dedication to his craft shows through the wide range of clientele he has had the privilege to serve and empower over the years. Anthony enjoys seeing glowing smiles after his service, and says ‘this lasts at least a few weeks if you have given your all to your client’, ‘sometimes longer’, which is why he chose the art of hair.”
The son of Greek-born accountant Rodo and housewife Miriam from Riverwood, south-west Sydney, Mr Koletti now leads a quiet life after losing friends and being rejected for work by potential employers in the wake of publicity given to his late wife’s Ponzi scheme.
As Mr Koletti enjoyed a champagne-fuelled life, expensive ski trips and luxury breaks around the world with his wife, he fell out with his family members who claim he drifted away from them as his relationship with the woman 11 years his senior blossomed.
His father Rodo, a tax agent, revealed in 2021 his relationship with the divorcee divided the family. He had only seen Caddick four times in eight years.
He had urged his son to return home when he had been ejected from his mansion seized by liquidators to repay investors.
Rodo died suddenly, aged 69, on August 25 with a newspaper death notice stating he had left behind his wife “Miriam and children Christopher and Anthony.”
The family is still wondering why Mr Koletti did not attend his father’s funeral at St Athanasios Church, Rookwood on September 6.
“He never came to the funeral, we don’t know why, he didn’t talk to Rodo, Rodo tried, but they never fixed it, Anthony always thought he was different,” his uncle George Koletti said.
Mr Koletti himself declined to reveal why he did not attend his father’s funeral.
“It’s my choice,” he said speaking from behind the desk of the hair salon.
Mr Koletti’s brother Chris, an engineer for Optus, blamed Caddick for the estrangement.
“She doesn't want anything to do with us, Anthony made the choice to go into that life, he doesn’t want to deal with us, that’s fine, he stopped talking to us … she’s stuck up, she had a life she wanted to lead … good luck to them,” he had said.
Twice-married Caddick – a self-styled financial adviser – ran financial services business Maliver without an Australian Financial Services (AFS) license and left investors almost $24 million out of pocket through their self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs).
She vanished after a visit from Federal Police to her home in November 2020 while the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) investigated her Ponzi scheme.
In April this year her victims reached a $3.54 million settlement in a class action by 32 victims.
Victims had already been repaid $7.25 million after liquidators of the dead fraudster sold off her assets in 2023 and 2024.
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