Villawood Detention Centre inmates allegedly involved in car fraud scheme
A man in immigration detention awaiting a District Court criminal trial allegedly lured a lovestruck young woman he met on a dating app into helping him fraudulently buy and sell stolen cars.
Fairfield
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A man in immigration detention awaiting a District Court criminal trial allegedly lured a lovestruck young woman he met on a dating app into helping him fraudulently buy and sell stolen cars.
New Zealand national William Teleiai, 27, has been on bail at Villawood Detention Centre since 2017 awaiting a criminal trial at Parramatta District Court for undisclosed charges.
Police allege he then drew fellow immigration detainees Guot Deng, 20, Jihad Murad, 34, and Imad Barghachoun, 49, into a get-rich-quick scheme where fraudulent credit cards were used to buy and sell stolen cars for profit.
Teleiai was charged with obtaining property by deception, while his three co-accused were charged with obtaining property by deception, prohibited drug supply and participating in a criminal group.
At Bankstown Local Court Magistrate Glenn Walsh said a police fact sheet alleged Teleiai’s online girlfriend would give evidence against him.”
“(The fact sheet) discloses that a woman, Kelsey Taylor, became involved with the applicant while he was in the Villawood immigration detention centre, having met him through some form of dating app,” Mr Walsh said.”
She will give evidence that appears to be credible and trustworthy, that at his direction, she took a number of steps to fraudulently obtain a Nissan Patrol, fraudulently pay for it, having it sold to another dealer, …and then dissipated the funds obtained.”
Mr Walsh refused bail on the basis he believed it was a strong prosecution case.
Sudanese national Deng’s bail application was also refused after it emerged he was on a series of community corrections orders for unrelated offences when he was taken into immigration detention.
His defence lawyer argued for Deng’s bail on the condition he was separated from his co-accused but Mr Walsh denied the application.
“I can’t make that order, he’s in federal detention - I can’t direct the minister for immigration to separate certain people,” Mr Walsh said.
”I accept he is only 20 and he has been in immigration detention for a significant period of time but it is a strong prosecution case, he is likely to be convicted and will receive custodial sentences.”
Lebanese nationals Barghachoun and Murad did not apply for bail and all four cases were adjourned to Blacktown Local Court on January 24 for the Department of Public Prosecutions to determine whether they will take carriage of the case.
The court was told Murad has an existing criminal matter of an undisclosed nature before Liverpool Local Court.
Sutherland Shire detectives assisted by Bankstown and Blacktown police, the Bass Hill Region Enforcement Squad, the Dog Unit and the Australian Border Force arrested the group early on Friday morning.
During the search of the rooms occupied by the group, police allegedly located an amount of white powder and several mobile phones.
During further searches inside the facility, police located a small amount of cannabis, methylamphetamine, prescription medication and an improvised weaponSutherland Shire police commander Jason Box said detectives began investigating the alleged fraud after a local resident reported their vehicle stolen.
”Sutherland Shire Police Area Command have been investigating a number of motor vehicles that have been obtained by fraudulent means,” Det Superintendent Box said.
”We will allege the phones in the detention centre were being used to facilitate the purchases using stolen credit cards.”