Accused ‘bag a day ex-banker’: Cops claim former NAB insider cut $1.4m of worthless cheques

Police have told a court a former banking insider allegedly cut $1.4 million in worthless cheques and sold the same iPhone over and over to pay for his cocaine and gambling habit.

Detectives claim a former Sydney bank worker used insider knowledge to become a “prolific” fraudster, cutting $1.4 million of worthless cheques to feed a bag-a-day cocaine habit and $700,000 gambling addiction, a court has heard.

Daniele Biglietto was granted bail in the NSW Supreme Court earlier this month after being arrested at his swanky Hurlstone Park apartment in April 2022.

Police, in a document released by the court, claim they found 1.2 grams of cocaine, a cannabis plant and a Glock 17 gel blaster in the raid.

But the key piece of evidence, allegedly found in Biglietto’s home, was a chequebook for a company called Ladpicks – an abandoned gambling venture founded around 2015.

The chequebook is significant, according to police, because Biglietto was allegedly writing dozens of Ladpicks cheques and bank counter cheques between 2019 and 2022.

Daniel Bigliotto leaves a South Western Sydney home today while on bail. Picture: John Grainger

“ (Biglietto) had obtained, created and had deposited a total of 69 valueless cheques with a total promised value of $1,397,509.00,” the police fact sheet claims.

Biglietto, according to online profiles, runs a car detailing and tinting company called PrestigeTech at Canterbury.

Daniel Bigliottoused a cheque kiting method he learned while working at NAB. Picture: John Grainger

The company’s perfect, five-star rating is courtesy of a single rave review by “Me Biglietto”.

Biglietto also stepped into the ring for a corporate charity boxing match at The Star casino in 2018.

But Biglietto’s less glamorous former career, as an NAB call centre assistant manager, which he left in 2015 is central in the police case against him, the court documents reveal.

“During his time working at the bank (Biglietto) became familiar with banking procedure and became aware of successful fraud methods,” the document claims.

Knowingly writing worthless cheques is a crime known as ‘cheque kiting’, police say in the document.

Biglietto was bailed by the NSW Supreme Court earlier this month. Picture by Damian Shaw

The alleged scam works because worthless cheques can be deposited into accounts and the funds will be shown as ‘pending’.

Pending funds can be spent as if the money is really in the account – at least until the bank catches up on paperwork and realises someone has had access to a false line of credit for a few days.

Detectives claim Biglietto deployed worthless cheques when he walked into a Stanmore car dealership in March 2022.

Biglietto allegedly filled out the contracts to buy a Mazda CX-5 for almost $44,000 and a Mazda BT50 ute for $72,000, police claim.

When the cheques allegedly bounced, police say, he sent a bogus bank transfer to the dealership which allowed him to drive away with a temporary courtesy car while they sorted out the sale.

Four days after visiting Mazda, police allege, Biglietto walked into Campsie NAB and wrote himself a cheque for $50,000.

He allegedly listed one of the bank’s internal accounts as the source for the funds on his cheque – it was an attempt to defraud the bank itself, police claim.

NAB internal investigators, in April 2022, contacted Campsie detectives about Biglietto and, within days, heavily armed units were knocking on his door.

The court, last week, heard Biglietto was consuming a $250 bag of cocaine every day, a “crippling habit” that cost him $100,000 to $200,000, the police court document claims.

Gambling, too, was one of Biglietto’s vices and it had set him back $700,000, the court document alleges.

Last week a Crown Prosecutor called on the court not to release Biglietto on bail because he was not going to rehab, and did not have the tools to deal with his issues while released.

“He says he’s got an itch for a bag of cocaine a day … that’s a very significant drug addiction and he accepts that, and gambling, were motivating factors,” Crown Prosecutor Rafaella Buttini told the court.

“This is a man who was working in the banking industry prior to opening up PrestigeTech, this is not a man who was let’s say clueless.”

“He relied on his knowledge gained, while working in the banking industry, in relation to at least some frauds.”

The police document also claims Biglietto sold an iPhone 13 times on Facebook marketplace but never came through with the goods.

The alleged iPhone scam netted him $11,614 between 2018 and 2021, police claim.

The court heard there are charges coming down the line related to Covid-19 and flood recovery payments, though the specifics are unknown.

Justice David Davies noted Biglietto had two fraud offences dating back to 2005 but a clean record since 2007.

He granted Biglietto strict bail to live at Croydon Park.

His matters remain before the courts.