Brett Trevillian sentenced over misleading AlphaThorn promotional material

A high-flying manager for one of Sydney’s richest and most mysterious businessmen lied about his trading success to attract investments of more than $14m from wealthy clients.

Brett Trevillian (left, foreground) leaves Downing Centre Local Court in 2023. Picture: Eliza Barr

A high-flying manager for one of Sydney’s richest and most mysterious businessmen attracted more than $14m in investments from “sophisticated, high net worth clients” – based on a series of completely fictional trades.

Brett Trevillian was once described as having “the Midas touch” for his precious metals trading algorithm The Gold Method, which supposedly cut through the chaos of market data to make more effective trade.

But the portfolio performance reports from celebrity wealth management firm Bell Partners which purportedly demonstrated his capacity to deliver extraordinary 30 per cent returns, were all forged by the man himself.

Every single trade — and every eye-popping return invoked to compel wealthy clients to invest with Gabriel Jakob’s private investment fund AlphaThorn — was fake.

Bell Partners — headed up by celebrity accountant Anthony Bell — were unaware their respected brand was being misused without their consent, until one of Trevillian’s prospective clients approached them directly to verify the reports.

Brett Trevillian in 2005.

Bell Partners then reported the hapless Trevillian to ASIC, and he was charged.

Hyper Capital founder Mr Jakob — who has an estimated net worth in excess of $550m — was banned by ASIC from providing financial services for five years, but not charged after his conduct was found to be “careless, as opposed to deliberate or dishonest”.

Brett Trevillian (left, foreground) leaves Downing Centre Local Court with counsel Troy Edwards (centre) in 2023. Picture: Eliza Barr

At Sydney District Court on Friday, Judge Garry Neilson outlined how Trevillian’s ruse started – and ended.

AlphaThorn – to which Trevillian was contracted as the investment manager – offered a secured product which produced returns between 6.79 and 16.54 per cent, and an enhanced product targeting returns of up to 30 per cent a year.

“The offender represented to AlphaThorn that there was a trading strategy called The Gold Method,” Judge Neilson said.

“He represented at AlphaThorn that it was a trading algorithm designed for a particular niche area of trading in gold and metals … AlphaThorn embraced the offender’s strategy as its own.”

The ruse started to unravel after AlphaThorn courted wealth management professional Jarrod Brown for their chief executive position.

“Mr Brown informed Mr Jakob that if he was to promote The Gold Method to high net worth investors, he wanted a verification of the trading performance,” Judge Neilson said

Trevillian then forged the fake Bell Partners reports on both investment products’ performance, which were disseminated to prospective clients.

“The documents represented that successful trades had been made, particularly from 2014 to 2018, by him, and through his company MetalAlpha and or AlphaThorn,” Judge Neilson continued.

“That was false, because the offender never made any such trades.”

At the height of the scheme, AlphaThorn was managing more than $14.3 million in investors’ funds – which were all returned in full, with interest.

Trevillian ultimately pleaded guilty to two counts of making a false document intending to obtain a financial advantage.

Judge Neilson convicted him and sentenced him to a three-year intensive correction order.

He will return to court in December after he is assessed for suitability for home detention and community service.

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