Elie and Charbel Douna: Developments in alleged LuxLiving fraud case as twin pleads guilty to gun crimes
An Illawarra property developer has pleaded guilty to firearm offences at a gender reveal party for his unborn child, as his twin continues to be investigated for alleged fraud offences.
Illawarra Star
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​Illawarra property developer Charbel Douna has admitted to using an unauthorised firearm at a flashy gender reveal party for his unborn child, as his twin brother Elie continues to be investigated for alleged fraud offences.
The brothers appeared in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday with Charbel Douna pleading guilty to four charges relating to firearm and gaming machine offences.
The charges include the use of an unauthorised firearm, firing a firearm in a manner likely to injure/damage persons/property and two counts of being in unauthorised possession of an approved gaming machine.
The firearm offences relating to a gender reveal event (see video player above) at his Calderwood Rd property in the Illawarra’s south west on May 5, 2019.
Charbel’s wife posted a video on her Instagram of her husband firing a .22 Calibre bolt action rifle at a balloon being held by her. It is not alleged that his wife has engaged in any wrongdoing.
Charbel was charged with the poker machine offences on May 17 last year.
He will be back in Wollongong Local Court for sentencing on Thursday, June 23.
The Douna brothers were accused of falsifying contracts for an upcoming building project in order to secure a whopping bank loan following a major police investigation.
They were arrested in February 2021 and charged with 19 counts of publishing false or misleading material to obtain an advantage and one count of participating in a criminal group.
Police have alleged the 33-year-olds made up fake potential buyers in an effort to obtain a nearly $15 million loan from Australian Unity Bank Ltd to build a luxury 92-home development, dubbed Avoca Park, in Avondale.
There were a total of 19 contracts written up, however, according to documents tendered to the court, police allege nine were forged by the Dounas with the elaborate scam occurring between December 2020 and February 2021.
However, last month, the Director of Public Prosecutions dropped all of the fraud-related charges against Charbel, as well as one count of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception.
Elie is still yet to enter a plea for the charges with the matter pushed back to Wednesday, May 11.
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