Accused con Leigh O’Neill allegedly rorted Craigieburn Secondary, Jacana School for Autism: Court

An accused Melbourne fraud allegedly rorted hundreds of thousands of dollars from two taxpayer-funded public schools including a specialist institute for kids with autism.

Accused Melbourne fraudster Leigh O'Neill was charged with allegedly stealing almost $800,000 from Craigieburn Secondary College and Jacana School for Autism.

An accused fraudster was charged with allegedly stealing almost $800,000 from multiple Melbourne schools.

Leigh O’Neill, 43, fronted Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Friday charged with 100 fraud offences allegedly committed against two public schools.

Mr O’Neill, who was initially charged with 199 offences, allegedly stole $792,290 from Craigieburn Secondary College and Jacana School for Autism.

It’s alleged Mr O’Neill, who handled the accounts at both schools, stole the cash via multiple transactions between September 2019 and July last year.

Mr O’Neill allegedly altered accounting records to transfer the school’s taxpayer-funded operating money into his own bank accounts.

Police alleged Mr O’Neill kicked off his lengthy fraud racket with a suspected dubious $20 transaction in September 2019.

Mr O’Neill, who worked for Craigieburn Secondary at the time, then allegedly ramped his suspected racket into highgear with a $5249 transfer in November 2019.

Investigators alleged Mr O’Neill’s fraud increased in amount and frequency and his highest suspected single transfer of $27,500 occurred in December 2021.

Mr O’Neill’s alleged offending against Craigieburn Secondary occurred until December 2022.

Mr O'Neill was charged with 100 alleged fraud offences.

It’s understood Mr O’Neill began working for Jacana School for Autism in early 2023.

Mr O’Neill allegedly kicked off his rort at the new school with a suspected dicey $8440 transaction in March last year.

In court, police alleged Mr O’Neill’s modus operandi was the same at both schools.

Mr O’Neill’s last alleged dodgy transfer at the Jacana school was a $15,888 transaction in July 2023.

The allegations were referred to Victoria Police for investigation soon after, with Hume Crime Investigation Unit detectives charging Mr O’Neill in January this year.

Mr O’Neill, who has links to an EDFL football club, also boasted about purchasing a personal food van and posted images of himself in premium seating at the 2022 AFL Grand Final.

Mr O'Neill attended the 2022 AFL Grand Final during his alleged fraud offending period.

The court heard the prosecution required four weeks to consider an offer put by the defence for Mr O’Neill to plead guilty to the alleged offending termed a “serious matter”.

Magistrate Brett Sonnet granted the adjournment but not before he lashed the prosecution for allowing Mr O’Neill to remain on summons rather than bail.

“How is it that accused persons are being charged with relatively serious offences on summons …,” Mr Sonnet said.

“Madame Prosecutor, I don’t want to interrupt … here you have 199 charges, total quantum … very large and the accused is not even required to attend court.

“I don’t want to hear anymore ‘I appreciate’ … the practice has to stop … the members of the community will be absolutely outraged at what is going on …

“Have a conversation with the ordinary bystander running around on the streets in Melbourne and ask them what would they think if this type of scenario is played out …

“I think their response will be ‘goodness me what is happening’ …

“(Mr O’Neill) just has to go on bail, it’s far too serious, the starting point should be why should (Mr O’Neill) be on bail …

“Here we have (Mr O’Neill) charged on summons and he doesn’t even have to attend court …”

Mr Sonnet, a former senior OPP prosecutor, had earlier lashed another prosecutor for “not working hard enough”.

O’Neill, who had 99 charges withdrawn, was placed on bail with conditions he remain at a static address and not leave the country.

O’Neill, of Attwood, will front court at a later date.