Aaron Alexander: Ex Gungahlin soccer president to defend fraud charges
An American citizen accused of rorting more than $100,000 from an amateur sporting club in Canberra will have his legal bill covered by the Australian taxpayer. Find out why.
Canberra Star
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A self-styled business guru who is accused of rorting a Canberra amateur soccer club of more than $100,000 will have his legal bill paid for by the taxpayer.
American citizen Aaron David Alexander, 48, the former president of Gungahlin United Football Club, appeared briefly in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday where it was confirmed he would be defended by legal aid lawyers.
Alexander has been charged with more than 100 counts of obtaining property by deception stemming from the alleged misappropriation of money from the club.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Alexander’s previous legal team quit the case when money ran out, and he told the court last month he was trying to get another privately-funded lawyer to take his case.
The case had been set down for a week-long hearing before Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker in November, but the “substantial” amount of evidence meant Alexander’s new lawyers would not have been able to prepare by then.
Magistrate Beth Campbell cancelled the hearing date, and the case is unlikely to be heard until next year.
According to documents filed in court, Alexander styled himself as the financial saviour of the club, telling the media before he was charged that he had used his “solid understanding of how to run a business” to turn the club’s finances around.
He is accused of using club money to bankroll personal expenses, including a costly lease on a Land Rover a trips interstate.
Alexander was club president between September 2016 and July 2018, and the alleged offending took place between April 2017 and April 2018.
It is alleged Alexander had sole access to the club’s bank account, despite protests from the club’s committee.
Alexander, who was sacked by the club and who is now unemployed, is also accused of spending club money on movie tickets, a dart board and to pay off personal speeding tickets.
According to police, he has not repaid any of the money he is accused of rorting.
