Maria Lambroglou pleads guilty to proceeds of crime charges laid by detectives investigating Rami Iskander murder investigation

Maria Lambroglou pleaded guilty to dealing with proceeds of crime charges laid by police who were investigating the murder of Sydney underworld figure Rami Iskander.

Police arrest Vincent Lambroglou in october last year. His charges remain before the court and he is yet to enter a plea, but his wife Maria has confessed to her crimes in court. Picture: NSW Police

A woman arrested by detectives investigating the murder of Sydney underworld figure Rami Iskander has pleaded guilty in court to dealing with dirty cash.

Maria Lambroglou and her husband Vincent Lambroglou were both arrested last October by officers attached to Strike Force Erebus after police carried out a search warrant at their Kyle Bay home in connection with their investigation into several gangland murders in Sydney in recent years.

Police allege Vincent organised and prepared the getaway cars used by the gunmen who shot Iskander dead at his Belmore home early on the morning of May 14, 2022.

Vincent was charged with accessory after the fact to murder, accessory before the fact to murder, participating in a criminal group and knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime.

He was refused bail at the time and remains behind bars.

Homicide Squad detectives arresting Vincent Lambroglou. Picture: NSW Police

His case is still before the court and he is yet to enter any pleas to the charges.

Meanwhile, Maria was charged with dealing with proceeds of crime and participating in a criminal group. She was granted strict conditional bail at the time.

Facing Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court earlier this month, Maria entered guilty pleas to two counts of dealing with proceeds of crime after her lawyers at Zahr Partners successfully negotiated to have the criminal group charge against her dropped.

Maria is not accused of any involvement in Iskander’s death.

Documents tendered to the court reveal police bugged the couple’s home in Kyle Bay and a business premises in Oatley in August last year in order to monitor Vincent’s activities.

The court heard Vincent was allegedly recorded using a money counter to sort and bundle large amounts of cash on numerous occasions while Maria was at the Oatley property.

Vincent, Maria and Lee Lambroglou were all arrested and charged by police investigating the murder of gangland figure Rami Iskander (pictured). Vincent is yet to enter a plea to his charges, Maria has pleaded guilty to reduced charges and Lee’s charges have been dropped altogether.

On an exchange on September 2, Maria allegedly said “you’re not even sorting out properly and whatever you do, the little bits you get, you’re doing for this.”

Vincent allegedly responded “I am not getting little bits … because there has been like leftovers when I do counting.”

Police allege Maria was seen handling cash that had been passed to her from Vincent, and at one stage encouraging him to recount the money to make sure the amount was right.

Court documents said Maria was recorded dealing with $50,000 in cash between September 9 and September 11.

The court heard officers who raided the Kyle Bay premises the following month discovered about $70,000 stashed in Maria’s bedroom, including $64,800 in the drawer of a wardrobe.

When interviewed by police, Maria denied any knowledge of the cash, saying “I don’t want to say, I don’t know what’s going on”.

Maria remains on bail and will face sentencing on September 7.

Prosecutors withdraw case against Lambroglou brother

A Sydney man charged over his alleged involvement in the murder of Rami Iskander has had all charges against him dropped, six months after a court heard the case against him was fatally weak.

Lee Lambroglou was charged in November last year with being an accessory after the fact to murder and concealing a serious indictable offence of another after police allege he helped his brother Vincent Lambroglou hide a vehicle allegedly used as a getaway car in gangland execution.

Court documents said police alleged just minutes after the fatal shooting, two unknown killers dumped a blue Hyundai i30 at a unit block in Allawah where the brothers’ mother lived, then fled the scene.

Friends and family pay their respects to Rami Iskander after his death in May last year. Picture: David Swift.

It is alleged Vincent arrived at the location a short time later and had Lee bring down the keys to the garage so the vehicle could be stored away from public view.

Lee spent a month behind bars on remand before he was granted bail in the NSW Supreme Court.

At the time, Justice Stephen Campbell cast serious doubt over whether the Crown could prove Lee knew of Iskander’s death at the time he handed the garage keys to his brother.

“It cannot be said that on the material available to me this is a strong Crown case [against Lee],” he said.

Six months on, prosecutors quietly dropped all charges against Lee during a brief mention of the matter in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court. No formal reason for the withdrawal was given.