$3M boiler room fraud accused Phil Travers and Troy Moncrieff wait for police to hand over emails

Police have been ordered to hand over potentially missing emails with witnesses in a multimillion-dollar boiler room fraud case. Find out what happened in court.

Police have been ordered to handover potentially missing emails with witnesses in a multimillion-dollar Gold Coast boiler room fraud case.

Phil David Travers and Troy William Moncrieff are charged with one count each of fraud (dishonestly induce property of $30,000) and money laundering.It is alleged they were part of a group of six people who are accused of scamming about $3 million from 178 people by selling bogus share-trading software.

A committal hearing in the Southport Magistrates Court in August and September this year was put on hold after it was discovered potentially vital emails had not been provided by police.

The Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday was told that some of the emails still had not been provided to the defence teams.Prosecutor Gavin Reece told the court requests had been made of the police technology department but the emails were yet to be provided.

The court was told some emails already provided referenced earlier emails sent. Those emails referenced were not provided to the defence.

Magistrate Kerry Magee directed the Queensland Police Service’s information, communication and technology department “disclose all email communications between investigating police officers, potential witnesses in relation to the investigation of Operation North Airbus by 4pm on October 19”.

The committal hearing is set to resume on October 24 for another five days.

Legal teams have previously raised with the court concerns about how witness statements had been gathered by police.

Defence barrister Angus Edwards told the court in August: “The way it appears in the structure of the (witness) statements, it is clear that police have sent these to these witnesses for them to fill in blanks.

“My submission is that what has occurred here is police are sending out pro-forma documents, suggesting to witnesses the sorts of inducements that might have been applied to them to have them enter into the program.”

The emails have been requested to help determine if that had been the case.

September 5, 2022: What allegedly happened before $3M fraud

Employees at a business alleged to have been a multimillion dollar scam selling share-trading software have told a court they were asked if they wanted to be directors.

Two administration workers also told the Southport Magistrates Court the company name was changed multiple times in the years leading up to the boiler room.

The revelations came during a committal hearing in relation six people who are accused of scamming about $3 million from 178 people by selling bogus share-trading software.

The had offices in Surfers Paradise and Upper Mt Gravatt in Brisbane.

Phil David Travers, Troy William Moncrieff, Tamika Simpson and James Andrew Heward are charged with one count each of fraud (dishonestly induce property of $30,000) and money laundering.

Luke Malcolm Small is charged with one count of fraud and Robert Travers is charged with one count of money laundering.

In the committal hearing on Monday, Britney Bourke, who worked in administration at the company, said in early 2014 Phil Travers asked her if she wanted to be a director of a company.

Ms Bourke said she was not told why she was asked.

“Not in full details,” she said.

Ms Bourke said she did not ask more questions as she was “young” and “blase”.

The court was told that in Ms Bourke’s statement she said Phil Travers told her he could not be director of a company.

Questioned about that on Monday, Ms Bourke said she could not recall if he said he could not be a director.

Ms Bourke told the court when she first started with the company in 2012 it was called “Questbrook” and sold software under the name “Eurosoft”.

She said during her time there the company changed names multiple times including to AWS and GTA.

Another employee Kristopher Corbett said he was also asked by Phil Travers if he wanted to be a director.

“It was to do with how I could make some money while I was overseas in England just by becoming a director for a couple of companies … I didn’t know much about it at the time,” he said.

Mr Corbett said Mr Travers told him: “He said he had friends of family made companies for them to run the business out of.”

The committal hearing continues on Tuesday.

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