Bogus estate agent Craig McIntosh jailed after fleecing more than $200k for Tattslotto tickets
A bogus estate agent has taken more than $200,000 from 12 victims for deals on prime city locations that weren’t even for sale, spending the cash on hotel rooms and lotto tickets. But it all came unstuck, thanks to a savvy investor.
Inner South
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A bogus real estate agent stole big cash deposits for properties that weren’t for sale so he could buy Tattslotto tickets, a court has heard.
Craig McIntosh stole more than $200,000 from 12 victims through shonky property deals between July, 2016 and August, 2017.
The dodgy agent’s victims were in the market to purchase property in the city and Southbank.
McIntosh had been an authorised real estate agent’s representative but this was stripped in February 2017.
The court heard McIntosh would line up buyers for his legitimate clients but kept the deposits.
McIntosh also contacted several other victims telling them he had several city apartments – including a Collins St property – available for purchase.
In this alternative scheme, McIntosh had no authority to sell the properties nor were the properties for sale.
His various lies included a regular fib that he couldn’t access the deposits because his account was “overseas”.
In reality he had quickly withdrawn the cash from his Bank of Queensland business account then spent it on hotel rooms and Tattslotto tickets, the court heard.
He then ceased all contact with his victims.
McIntosh’s scam began to unravel when he was approached by a customer interested in buying a Swanston St property
The customer became suspicious after McIntosh insisted on receiving a 10 per cent deposit upfront.
He contacted the property’s owner who said the apartment was not on the market nor did McIntosh have any right to sell the house.
Consumer Affairs Victoria issued a notice in 2017 which warned potential customers not to do business with McIntosh.
Police arrested McIntosh at his high-rise Russell St suite in February, 2018.
McIntosh, 51, was sentenced in the County Court on December 13 to a minimum one year in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges of theft and obtaining property by deception.
The court heard McIntosh became interested in the real estate industry in the mid-90s.
He started his own business, Professional City Residential, in 2006.
McIntosh’s defence counsel submitted his client was “robbing Peter to pay Paul” in an attempt to “extricate himself from a dire financial situation”.
However, McIntosh also spent money on hotel rooms and bought lotto tickets in a further bid to rescue himself from financial ruin.
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Judge Kevin Doyle said McIntosh committed a “flagrant breach of trust”.
“This was a calculated course of conduct by you that continued for over a year with multiple victims,” Judge Doyle said.
“You used your position in the real estate industry to defraud your victims and even when you no longer had such a position you continued on with your dishonest conduct.”
“The four victim impact statements provided illustrate the torment your conduct caused to the victims.”
McIntosh, who had spent seven days in custody at the time of sentencing, was jailed for a maximum two years.