Fraudster accused of resisting orders to leave abandoned Arundel Hills Country Club

A convicted criminal with a history of fraud has changed his name and is resisting demands to vacate a deserted Gold Coast country club.

A convicted criminal with a history of fraud has changed his name and is resisting demands to vacate a deserted Gold Coast country club, one of the site’s owners has claimed.

It’s alleged Mario Girardo, now known by the name Marsell Fila, has continued living at the former Arundel Hills Country Club site after his lease expired.

Girardo is best known for being linked to an alleged price ­manipulation racket on the Gold Coast’s “Millionaire’s Row” at Mermaid Beach.

In 2011, the millionaire-businessman-turned-Buddhist-monk and another man were jailed for 10-and-a-half years after being found guilty of “mafia drug money” extortion.

At the time, the Southport District Court was told Girardo had invested $300,000 into Gold Coast builder Ian Anderson’s business.

Mario Michael Girardo outside the Southport Courthouse in 2013.

Girardo hired Nicholas Paul Michaelides and another “heavy” to extort the money from Mr Anderson when his attempts to recoup it were unsuccessful, the court was told.

Michaelides was jailed for six years and Girardo for four-and-a-half years.

Girardo was also convicted of fraud and banned from being a director.

Both Marsell Fila and Mario Girardo have the same date of birth and place of birth, according to business records.

Current owner of the Arundel Hills site Dale Carroll said he understood Girardo, now known as Mr Fila, had a lease agreement with the former site owners from October 24 last year until March 15.

Since the new owners settled the site on March 16, Mr Carroll alleged Mr Fila had continued living in the former club premises without paying rent and without a valid lease.

Marsell Fila inside the former Arundel Hills Country Club.

The property owner further alleged Mr Fila had sublet areas of the property - including offices, kitchens and a maintenance shed - to other tenants.

It is understood some of these tenants included a young family with children.

“He’s basically sitting there paying us no rent. He is supposed to notify us of (any subtenants) and didn’t,” Mr Carroll said.

A man, who claimed to be a former business partner of Mr Fila, said they planned to open a pizzeria together in the former Arundel Hills kitchen before the business relationship turned sour.

“The deal was, he wouldn’t charge me rent. In exchange, I would fully equip the kitchen, run the kitchen and we would share the profits,” the former business partner said.

The man is known to the Bulletin but asked not to be identified due to contractual reasons.

“I was fully committed to opening a restaurant, because that was our plan,” he said.

“From January to April, I have done every single thing in that place.”

Marsell Fila inside the former Arundel Hills Country Club.

In mid April, the former business partner said he had a disagreement with Mr Fila about the business.

He alleged Mr Fila wanted to change the nature of the business to catering instead of a restaurant - something the former business partner disagreed with.

Then on April 15, the man received an email purporting to be from Mr Fila’s “legal counsel” notifying him that he was not allowed back on the premises until the matter had resolved.

The Bulletin sighted this correspondence and sent a media inquiry to the email address listed for Mr Fila’s legal counsel, however it bounced back with a “user unknown” error message.

Since the dispute, the former business partner alleged he was locked out of his business premises and unable to access $30,000 in equipment he purchased.

The man has since alerted police to the matter.

The gates of Arundel Hills Country Club. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Mr Fila was contacted on numerous occasions for a response, but did not return any calls or texts.

The Bulletin put to Mr Fila the allegations made by the former business partner and Mr Carroll about him.

A number of questions asking for his response to the allegations and clarity on his identity went unanswered.

Police were asked for comment about the allegations concerning the country club site and the dispute with the former business partner.

A police spokeswoman said: “The Queensland Police Service is aware of the matter referred and investigations are ongoing. As such, it would be inappropriate to provide further commentary.”

Mr Carroll said police had confirmed to him that Mr Fila was Girardo’s new name.

As of last week, Mr Carroll said he was working with another tenant who wanted to potentially take over the lease of the property.

The gates of the country club when the Bulletin visited the site last month to speak to Mr Fila. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Who is Mario Girardo?

The former Melbourne businessman was convicted of fraud and banned from being a company director.

In 2011, Mario Michael Girardo, then 43, and Christian charity worker Nicholas Paul Michaelides, then 54, were jailed for a total of 10-and-a-half years after being found guilty of “mafia drug money” extortion.

At the time, the Southport District Court was told Girardo had invested $300,000 into Gold Coast builder Ian Anderson’s business.

Girardo hired Michaelides and another “heavy” to extort the money from Mr Anderson when his attempts to recoup it were unsuccessful, the court was told.

In 2006, two men lured Mr Anderson to a remote rural property, where he was forced to sign documents at gunpoint.

The court was told the victim was also shown photos of his two children and asked to pick which one would die with him.

During the two-week trial, it was revealed Girardo had started a new life as a Buddhist monk since the offence.

In 2014, it was reported Girardo was declared bankrupt and linked to the alleged price ­manipulation racket on Hedges Ave, Mermaid Beach - colloquially known as Gold Coast’s “Millionaire’s Row”.