Serial conman Anton Mentz pleads guilty to impersonating jail buddy, company director

A repeat fraudster was already banned from the finance industry when he assumed the identity of a man he befriended in jail to run his most recent scheme.

A serial conman was already banned from the finance industry when he pretended to be his ex-prison buddy and director of a lending company, swindling more than a dozen businesses.

Southport District Court was told Anton Mentz, 53, first met Jarred Scott while Mentz was serving a jail sentence for unrelated serious fraud offences. Both men were released in 2019.

Crown prosecutor Caitlin Usher said Mentz was prohibited by both ASIC and his parole order from working in the finance sector or acting as a company director, so instead approached Mr Scott to be the “dummy director” of his lending firm Citi Private Capital.

She said Mentz then assumed Mr Scott’s identity – without the other man’s knowledge – when contacting, meeting, or negotiating with prospective clients between December 18, 2019 and August 19, 2020.

Serial conman Anton Mentz was formerly known as Marius Anton Ackerman. Picture: file

“(Mentz) was operating the private lending company, advertising private finance options for companies and individuals,” Ms Usher said.

“(He) induced 15 businesses to enter into negotiations with Citi Private Capital when he knew he was not able to be a director or work in the financial sector.”

Mentz’s offending came to light when the promised loan agreements were never fulfilled by Citi Private.

The court was told police found further evidence of the scheme when they raided Mentz’s Hope Island home.

Ms Usher said Mentz’s Queensland and federal criminal histories “almost exclusively” contained convictions for fraud and other offences of dishonesty.

She said Mr Scott was given a wholly suspended jail term when he faced court for his role in the Citi Private business, though there were few similarities between the two cases.

Defence barrister Malcolm Harrison, instructed by Vered Turner Lawyers, said his South African-born client was a father of three who only ever studied and worked in the finance industry.

“Unfortunately for him, it was the only industry he knew and he used an alias of another person that he had met in custody to try to conduct business,” Mr Harrison said.

He told the court Mentz now relied on Jobseeker payments and was also receiving treatment for mental health issues including PTSD and anxiety after his time in jail.

Judge Deborah Holliday said while Mentz would not immediately be imprisoned, any future similar offending would land him straight back behind bars.

Mentz pleaded guilty to one count of impersonation.

He was sentenced to nine months’ jail, wholly suspended for two years.