Thrill-seeking Moundous Group property manager Shaun Kelly jailed for $1.5 million fraud
A conman who swindled $1.5 million from a family-owned Melbourne property business has copped the wrath of a judge after he fled the state and was 1800km away when he was due to be sentenced.
Inner South
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A “greedy” property shyster fleeced $1.5 million from a family-owned company then dumped $300,000 on the ponies, a court has heard.
Shaun Kelly, 48, was sentenced in the County Court on May 22 to a minimum three years and five months’ jail after pleading guilty to eight charges of obtaining property by deception.
Kelly stole $1,498,000 from the Moundous Group while working as a property manager for the land subdivision company between March 2017 and March 2018.
The fraudster deposited amounts ranging from $50,000 to more than $340,000 into his own accounts.
He stole $900,000 in just a four-month period, the court heard.
Kelly’s deceit was uncovered in March 2018 but he wasn’t charged by police until February 2019.
Kelly told police he splashed the cash on gambling debts, credit cards, living expenses and his farming business.
The court heard Kelly dumped between “$200,000 and $300,000” punting on horse racing while at the Gold Coast.
The father-of-three began working for the Moundous Group in late 2016 after moving to Melbourne from Queensland.
“Your offending involved planning, including the use of cover up emails to disguise your offending,” Judge Gregory Lyon said.
Judge Lyon also concluded Kelly gambled for the “thrill of it”.
“It is difficult in the absence of any further material to conclude that you could spend $350,000 in a single year on debt and lifestyle and be labelled anything other but criminally greedy,” Judge Lyon said.
Judge Lyon said the defence’s submission that Kelly should not be jailed was “laughable”.
He also said there was no evidence Kelly had any “hope or desire” to repay the stolen cash.
Kelly was due for sentencing on May 20 but the hearing was postponed after it was discovered he was in Queensland, 1800km away.
The court heard Kelly had only just returned to Victoria on the morning of last Friday’s rescheduled sentencing.
“I can only draw the conclusion that either the gravity of your situation has still not sunk in or you still prefer to satisfy your own selfish priorities over the law,” Judge Lyon said.
“It smacks of a breathtaking arrogance on your part … it smacks of a contempt for the criminal justice process, Mr Kelly I conclude you are a long, long way from rehabilitation for your offending.”
Kelly was jailed for a maximum five years and six months.
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