Joshua McIntosh: Sentence hearing over fake car scheme two years after Randwick arrest

A serial fraudster and aspiring real estate agent scammed more than $350k by selling non-existent cars online, later telling his doctor “lying comes easy for me”, a court has heard.

A serial fraudster who has pleaded guilty to scamming $350,687 out of unsuspecting victims in his latest scheme told a doctor “lying comes easy for me and the consequences of my offending initially made me feel good”, a court has heard.

Joshua Peter McIntosh, 53, appeared via videolink at his sentence hearing at Downing District Court after pleading guilty to thirteen counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and one count of possessing identity information to commit an indictable offence.

McIntosh’s latest scam unravelled when he was arrested at a Randwick unit on February 17 2021, following a strike force investigation into large-scale fraud.

At the time, it was reported McIntosh was wanted on four outstanding warrants before he was tracked down in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

Police seized expensive goods from his unit including designer handbags, clothing and electronics.

Luxury goods found inside Joshua McIntosh’s Randwick unit. Picture: NSW Police.

A court previously heard the 53-year-old’s long-running scam involved selling and taking payment for non-existent vehicles from victims across Australia, using online marketplaces such as the website Gumtree.

In total there were 33 separate offences — and 26 of the fraudulent sales were committed in 2020, the court heard.

At his sentence hearing, McIntosh’s lawyer said his client had been in jail for almost two years on remand since his arrest and had been assaulted once while in custody.

He told the court the fraudster had scammed $350,687 from innocent victims, conceding it was a “substantial” amount of money.

The court also heard McIntosh pleaded guilty, acknowledged the pain and suffering caused by his actions and was not against an order for compensation.

“He doesn’t want to continue this type of life … he wants to lead a life where he can put his persuasion and communication skills to work,” the lawyer said, adding McIntosh was planning on pursuing a career in real estate on his release from prison.

Joshua McIntosh during his arrest in 2021. Picture: NSW Police.

“Often people who commit these kinds of offences are very good communicators … they are persuasive.”

The prosecution told the court McIntosh’s previous criminal history was an aggravating factor, as he was previously imprisoned for fraud and committed some of these offences while on parole in 2019 post his release from a Queensland jail.

The court also heard McIntosh said to a doctor: “Lying comes easy to me and the consequences of my offending initially made me feel good … I chose to go down this road and got to a point where I couldn’t stop”.

Joshua McIntosh has spent almost two years in remand since his arrest (pictured). Picture: NSW Police.

Judge John Pickering described McIntosh’s offences as both “brazen” and “unsophisticated”.

“People are really trusting … people have amazing trust on these sites,” Judge Pickering said, referring to the victims who purchased non-existent vehicles from McIntosh without having ever seen them.

Judge Pickering also noted McIntosh had no substance abuse problems, gambling addictions or diagnosed mental health conditions.

“Sometimes there’s also just an aspect of enjoyment to (fraud) … which he’s quite honest about … some of it is almost just the enjoyment of getting away with it,” Judge Pickering said.

Judge Pickering reserved his judgment until December 14.