Ex-Hells Angels and Finks bikie Hasan Genc fronts court

A former bikie and Australian freestyle wrestling champion planning to join Hells Angels attempted to extort $500,000 from a Shepparton accountant.

Former bikie Hasan Genc was part of an attempt to extort $500,000 from Shepparton accountant Steve di Patti at gunpoint.

A former member of an outlaw motorcycle club who admitted his part in attempting to extort $500,000 from a Shepparton accountant at gunpoint has escaped jail.

Hasan Genc, a former member of Finks Motorcycle Club, demanded money from Steve Di Petta from SDP Tax accountants in November 2019.

Genc, 38, appeared for sentencing in the County Court at Melbourne on Wednesday after earlier pleading guilty to charges of extortion, aggravated burglary and theft.

He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment but has already served time, and four-year community corrections order.

A co-accused is facing similar charges and is going to trial.

Hasan Genc had been excluded from the Finks and was “patching up” to the Hells Angels when he was involved in an attempt to extort $500,000 from a Shepparton accountant.

Genc had been Mr Di Petta’s client for about five years prior to the offending.

Mr Di Petta no longer owns the business.

The prosecution said at the time of the offending, Genc had been excluded from the Finks and was “patching up” to the Hell’s Angels which was the motive behind his unlawful actions.

About 8.50pm on November 15, 2019, the co-accused allegedly entered Mr Di Petta’s office and said he and another person were there to collect money.

He allegedly told Mr Petta he owed someone half a million dollars and demanded to know where the CCTV hard drive was. Mr Di Petta denied he owed anybody money.

Genc then entered the office and purported to not know what was happening.

The co-accused allegedly asked Mr Di Petta if he was going to get the money before threatening him, pushing a gun against his leg.

After the co-accused and another person left, Genc told Mr Di Petta the two men were from Hell’s Angels, that they were “worldwide” and the business owner could not get away from them.

He told Mr Di Petta he needed to pay the money and to not tell his wife because she would go to the police.

A terrified Mr Di Petta went home and told his wife he’d been set up and if he didn’t give them money, he and his children would be killed.

She rang a close friend and his brother and his wife for support.

Judge Liz Gaynor imposed a four-year community corrections order on former bikie Hasan Genc on charges of extortion, aggravated burglary and theft.

Judge Liz Gaynor said Mr Di Petta and his family were under a great deal of stress and the trauma they suffered would be long lasting.

Judge Gaynor said Genc was the Australian freestyle wrestling champion between 2000 and 2003 and was selected for the Commonwealth Games but couldn’t participate due to a serious motorcycle accident.

He then went into concreting business before leaving for Cyprus, where his father migrated to Australia from, and joined the military and rose to the rank of commander.

Genc was introduced to the outlaw motorcycle club by a neighbour and the Finks discipline appealed to him.

Judge Gaynor said she was prepared to impose a non-custodial sentence as Genc’s prospects for rehabilitation were good, especially since he no longer belonged to an outlaw motorcycle club.