Oliver Curtis trial: Roxy Jacenko’s husband found guilty of conspiring to commit insider trading

Oliver Curtis looked shocked in court as he weighed the possible jail time the 45 illegal trades which funded his jetsetting lifestyle might cost him.

Oliver Curtis and wife Roxy Jacenko arrive at the Supreme Court together. Picture: John Grainger

THEY arrived holding hands, but PR powerwoman Roxy Jacenko and her banker husband Oliver Curtis fled the Supreme Court in separate directions yesterday after he was found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to commit insider trading.

Dressed in her trademark designer black from head to toe, a distressed Ms Jacenko — who is director of PR firm Sweaty Betty — wore dark sunglasses to hide her tears as she left court.

Curtis was found guilty in relation to a $1.4 million trading scam with his former best friend John Hartman the pair hatched in their early 20s to fund their luxury, jetsetting lifestyle.

Stockbroker Oliver Curtis leaves the Supreme Court after being found guilty. Picture: AAP

Curtis’ wife Roxy Jacenko tries to avoid the media as she leaves the courthouse this afternoon. Picture: Adam Yip / The Daily Telegraph

The 30-year-old son of former mining company chairman Nick Curtis now faces a maximum of five years jail over 45 illegal trades.

Curtis at first looked deflated after the jury returned a guilty verdict following two days of deliberation, and then appeared shocked as the enormity of what had just happened sunk in.

As his wife left court in one direction, Curtis walked the opposite way after being granted bail by Justice Lucy McCallum ahead of his sentencing.

The three-week trial turned into a courtroom showdown between the two former best friends with Hartman, who has already gone to jail for insider trading, giving evidence against his fellow old boy from prestigious St Ignatius College, Riverview.

Oliver Curtis and wife Roxy Jacenko arrive at court this morning ahead of the verdict. Curtis was today found guilty. Picture: John Grainger

The Crown’s case was that Hartman gave Curtis inside information he had as an equities trader for Orion Asset Management which invested and managed $7 billion worth of funds.

He sent the information to Curtis using BlackBerry’s PIN-to-PIN messaging system.

Curtis then traded using his own account and the pair split the profits 50-50.

Hartman turned Curtis into the authorities in 2009 after he was caught doing his own illegal trading, through which authorities said he made a profit of $5.9 million over three years. Hartman was jailed in 2010 for 15 months.

His co-accused John Hartman.

Ms Jacenko leaving court. Picture: Adam Yip/ The Daily Telegraph

He received a 25 per cent discount for his early guilty plea and a further 10 per cent for giving evidence against Curtis.

Outside court, ASIC senior executive leader of enforcements Chris Savundra said the jury’s decision “reinforced ASIC’s commitment to pursue complex market misconducts no matter how long they may take or how vigorously they are defended.”

Authorities can now start seizing Curtis assets, including his share of the profits he and Ms Jacenko made on the sale of their multi-million Woollahra home. Curtis will return to court on June 17 for submissions on sentence.