Lawyer handed himself in over $7m fraud
A JUNIOR Sydney lawyer fooled one of the world’s most prestigious banks into transferring millions of dollars into his suburban bank account by pretending he was borrowing the money for TV billionaire Bruce Gordon, it has been claimed.
NSW
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A JUNIOR Sydney lawyer fooled one of the world’s most prestigious banks into transferring millions of dollars into his suburban bank account by pretending he was borrowing the money for TV billionaire Bruce Gordon, it has been claimed.
Allegations of the brazenly simple fraud emerged after solicitor Brody Jack Clarke, 35, was charged with siphoning $7 million from Deutsche Bank into his personal bank account at Leura.
Clarke, who was allegedly feeding an expensive gambling habit, had been working for to-of-the-town law firm Atanaskovic Hartnell and living in an exclusive Woolloomooloo apartment where Russell Crowe was a neighbour.
Sacked by the law firm, he spent Tuesday night behind bars before he was granted bail today by magistrate Les Mabbutt at Central Local Court to live at his parents’ home at Port Macquarie on the mid-north coast.
Among its high profile clients, Atanaskovic Hartnell represents Bermuda-based TV mogul Mr Gordon, who owns regional television network WIN Corporation and has interests in the Nine Network.
Clarke’s barrister George Thomas told Cental Local Court his client had instructed him to “self-report his conduct” to police in October last year after he was being sued in the Supreme Court.
Mr Gordon’s company Birketu is taking civil action against Westpac, Sportsbet, Tabcorp, Betfair and Clarke.
The money still left in Clarke’s Westpac account has been frozen by the court.
Clarke is charged with eight counts of fraudulently diverting funds while working as a solicitor between June 2016 and August 2017.
Two of the transfers — worth nearly $4.5 million and just over $2.5 million — involved funds held by Deutsche Bank on behalf of Birketu.
Police will allege Clarke pretended he had authority from Birketu and Mr Gordon to transfer the funds.
Three other transactions — totalling $2.5 million — were made on behalf of WIN Corporation and Birketu, according to court documents.
Mr Thomas said Clarke checked himself into a psychiatric hospital in 2017 and has since attended a gambling rehabilitation centre in Canberra.
In a statement made outside court, Atanaskovic Hartnell accused Deutsche Bank of negligence and said it should be “embarrassed”.
“Deutsche apparently deposited its money into the account after dealing solely with a former employee and without the knowledge of any other present or former member of AH staff or AH partners,” the statement said.
“When AH became aware of the dealings between Deutsche and the former employee in September 2017, AH summarily dismissed the former employee.”
Clarke no longer holds a practising certificate to work as a lawyer.