Bayswater conman Vasilios Politopoulos pleads guilty to multiple fraud charges
A Bayswater conman who preyed on disabled and elderly victims to rort Centrelink of more than $40,000 has lashed out at his own lawyer in court.
Outer East
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A conman cosied up to several disabled and elderly victims to steal their identification and fleece more than $43,000 from Centrelink, a court has heard.
Serial fraudster Vasilios Politopoulos, 59, pleaded guilty in the County Court on March 19 to seven counts of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception from the Commonwealth.
Politopoulos, from Bayswater, rorted $43,970 through seven victims – including a family member – between 2016 and 2019.
The court heard Politopoulos targeted his “vulnerable” victims at churches, supermarkets and pokies venues, offering to carry their shopping and sit with them at church — to gain their trust.
The devious conman then stole his victims’ cash, bank cards and identity documents.
Politopoulos used his victims’ IDs to siphon their Centrelink disability and elderly pensions into bank accounts he controlled.
He also requested advance payments.
The court heard Politopoulos managed to dupe Centrelink staff, sometimes using the barest of details, even spelling some victims’ names wrong.
Two of his victims were female but Politopoulos convinced Centrelink staff their information was wrong.
His victims would not know anything was wrong until they went to withdraw cash or pay for groceries with overdrawn bank accounts.
Centrelink detected the rort in January 2019 but Politopoulos kept offending until his eventual arrest in September 2019.
Politopoulos’ defence counsel told the court his client has a 26-page criminal record of dishonesty offences stretching back to 1986.
Politopoulos was jailed for 20 months in late-2016 after he assaulted and robbed a young disabled woman inside a public toilet at train station on the Dandenong line, the court heard.
The lawyer told the court his client preyed on elderly and disabled victims at church and shopping centres to steal their ID, bank cards and cash.
He said Politopoulos’ offending had a level of “sophistication”.
Judge Susan Cohen said the offending had a “degree of cunning”.
She also “agreed” with everything Politopoulos’ lawyer said about his client.
“What are you asking for? Indefinite detention for your client?,” Judge Cohen said.
“What your telling me is Mr Politopoulos will be a threat to the community (through his) long, habitual dishonesty … picking on people more vulnerable than him.”
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Ms Cohen was forced to halt the proceeding early after Politopoulos launched a verbal tirade at his lawyer.
“Can we just get this over and done with so I just go back to prison,” Politopoulos said.
“You’re sacked mate, hear me you’re sacked.
“I’m leaving the court, can I leave the court?
“You’re an imbecile, you work for the prosecution, you’re worse than Nicola Gobbo.
“(The lawyer) is an incompetent piece of shit.”
Politopoulos was led to the cells after he said he would calm down if he could smoke a cigarette.
“That’s been banned for a while,” Ms Cohen said.
“Another thing I can’t help you with.”
Politopoulos will be sentenced on March 25.