Melbourne model Bianca Kowalczyk charged with gold bullion, US currency fraud: Court

A Melbourne model blamed her ex-lover for dropping her in an alleged $180,000 “professional fleece” of gold bullion and US currency.

Melbourne model Bianca Kowalczyk was charged with fraud offences. Picture: Instagram.

A Melbourne model who allegedly ripped US currency and gold bullion worth $180,000 has blamed her ex-lover for tricking her into the “professional fleece”.

Bianca Kowalczyk, 32, fronted Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday charged with multiple fraud offences.

Ms Kowalczyk allegedly dealt with $188,070 suspected of being the proceeds of crime and rorted $51,000 in US currency in November last year.

It’s also alleged Ms Kowalczyk ripped $90,579 in gold bullion during the suspected three-day fraud racket.

The court heard Ms Kowalczyk, an Instagram glamour model, met co-accused Harpreet Dhaliwal several months prior to the alleged offending.

Mr Dhaliwal, 31, was also slapped with multiple fraud charges.

It’s alleged a suspected pro grifter crew “hacked” an email trail from a conveyancer and altered bank account details.

Kowalczyk is a glamour Instagram model.

The prosecution alleged some of the cash was diverted to bank accounts allegedly opened by Ms Kowalczyk.

Ms Kowalczyk, who has no priors, gave a statement to police before she was charged on May 30.

“I blindly followed him as I thought he loved me … I trusted him,” Kowalczyk said in the statement.

Ms Kowalczyk “may be called as a witness” against Mr Dhaliwal, the court was told.

Kowalczyk claims her ex-lover “duped” her.

The defence submitted Mr Dhaliwal allegedly “used” Ms Kowalczyk to “assist in the deception”.

“We participated purely out of our blinded love for the co-accused,” the defence told the court.

“(Ms Kowalczyk) doesn’t deny attending, opening bank accounts, she doesn’t deny any of that …”

Ms Kowalczyk, who made an unsuccessful application for summary jurisdiction, was linked to the alleged offending via WhatsApp messages.

“(The WhatsApp messages) had a certain flavour … a level of dishonesty or a conspiratorial flavour,” Magistrate Jarrod Williams said.

Kowalczyk was charged by police on May 30.

The court heard Mr Dhaliwal was “well and truely in it deeply” but he wasn’t the “mastermind”.

“It’s devastating for the victim …,” the defence submitted.

“They’ve professionally fleeced the poor victim … using Dhaliwal in Melbourne who then enlists his partner, as she thought, to help him in what she thought was his legitimate transactions …

“Clearly after the event she’s wise to it, she knows, she’s devastated by his betrayal … he used her …

“It would be ultimately for a finder of fact to determine whether she was criminally responsible or just naive …

Kowalczyk will front court at a later date.

“She just thought she was helping the co-accused and it was all legal transactions because he had duped her … she did what she was told and believed his lies …”

The prosecution submitted there was a “degree of organisation involved”.

Ms Kowalczyk, of Gowanbrae, and Mr Dhaliwal, of Mulgrave, will front court at later dates.