Samantha Azzopardi to return to Moorabbin Court in September over deception charges
An alleged con-artist accused of swindling nearly $20k through a series of scams has been put into chickenpox isolation in prison.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
A serial fantasist facing allegations of swindling at least $18,000 by claiming to be a 14-year-old victim of sex-trafficking in Europe has been medically isolated in prison.
Samantha Azzopardi appeared in Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on July 12 via video link from the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre where she was reportedly in medical isolation.
Ms Azzopardi was arrested in Northcote in October last year and charged with a range of obtaining financial advantage by deception charges.
Picture: Facebook
On Friday, the court heard she had contracted the chickenpox virus in custody and had since been separated from other prisoners while she recovered.
Ms Azzopardi could be seen emotionally wiping her eyes on the video-link as her lawyer Joshua Bruzzichessi requested an adjournment for a sentence indication.
In court documents seen by the Herald Sun, she has been accused of obtaining financial advantage of $18,837 by deception, after portraying herself as being from Europe and in need of support services including accommodation, vouchers and medical costs.
Azzopardi is facing similar charges across various Melbourne jurisdictions, including Reservoir and Werribee.
Magistrate Luisa Bazzani ordered both prosecution and Mr Bruzzichessi to have all relevant documents submitted for
“The prosecution would suggest this is a pretty notorious case where Ms Azzopardi is said to have used many aliases,” she said.
Ms Azzopardi will return to Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on September 11 for a part-heard sentence indication.