Former Gungahlin United Football Club president Aaron David Alexander pleads not guilty to 108 counts of fraud
The former president of one of Australia’s biggest soccer clubs is facing 108 charges, accused of stealing more than $100,000 to pay for a Land Rover and flights to watch a football match in Melbourne.
Canberra Star
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The alleged fraudster accused of bringing one of Australia’s largest soccer clubs to its knees will contest the charges but remains behind bars.
Aaron David Alexander, 48, fronted the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday having spent a week locked up on remand following his arrest last week.
The former Gungahlin United Football Club president was listed to apply for bail, but his lawyer, Peter Woodhouse, told Magistrate James Stewart he would likely not be making a bail application until next month.
Mr Woodhouse also entered not guilty pleas on Alexander’s behalf on all 108 charges of obtaining property by deception.
The charges total $112,000 in allegedly misappropriated or defrauded money.
The charges deal with allegations Alexander misappropriated sums as little as $150 and as much as $16,000 between December 2017 and April 2018.
According to court records, Alexander was arrested years after club officials first became suspicious about his handling of club finances, and after more than a year of police investigation.
The US national had no background in soccer and was recruited as club president as part of efforts to reduce the club’s debts.
Much of the missing money is unaccounted for, according to court documents, but it is alleged Alexander spent some of the money on accommodation and flights to Melbourne to watch a soccer match from a corporate box, and also used club money to pay the lease on his Land Rover.
According to court records, an audit of club finances towards the end of Alexander’s time as president showed the club had a debt of nearly $150,000 to Capital Football, the sport’s governing body in the ACT.
Police allege Alexander concealed that debt.
In 2018, according to police, the 1600-member club raked in more than $500,000 in registration fees and nearly $4000 a week through weekend canteen sales, and had budgeted to use a forecast $30,000 surplus to pay off debt, but an investigation by committee members found there was only $10,000 in the club’s bank account, and officials had to start borrowing money to pay suppliers.
Alexander returns to court in March.