Robert Napoli faces jail over education department fraud conspiracy run by brother Nino Napoli

The little brother of corrupt education department finance boss Nino Napoli could be jailed for his role in a fraud conspiracy.

The little brother of corrupt education department finance boss Nino Napoli has been warned he could be jailed for his role in a fraud conspiracy.

Robert Napoli, 53, faced the Melbourne County Court on Tuesday where he had previously pleaded guilty to taking part in a conspiracy to defraud the Victorian Government.

Robert Napoli’s ownership of a Sunshine printing company allowed his older brother to mastermind a series of frauds against the department, by directing lucrative work to it, but hiding the work behind a series of phantom companies.

Former Victorian Education Department finance boss Nino Napoli after being charged.

Robert Napoli’s involvement in the conspiracy totalled more than $70,000, over 15 separate transactions.

“Without a legitimate printing company, Nino Napoli would have found it very difficult to conceal the fact that he was directing fraudulent claims through the department,” Crown Prosecutor Andrew Grant said.

Mr Grant told the court Nino Napoli, 65, who is serving a three year and 10 month jail sentence, pocketed far more from the conspiracy than his little brother.

He said Robert Napoli may not have known the extent of his older brother’s frauds, which the courts have previously heard involved him using his trusted position as a senior departmental finance boss to siphon around $500,000 in work to businesses run by family members, much of which was never done.

Nino Napoli (right) is seen leaving leaves court in 2018.

One of Napolis’ cousins, Carlo Squillacioti, is serving a two year and five month jail sentence.

Robert Napoli’s barrister Jim Dounias, told the court his client’s wife, who prosecutors recently dropped charges against, had been sacked from her job as an accountant after the family’s name began appearing in the news during a high profile IBAC probe into Nino Napoli’s conduct.

He said unlike some parts of Nino Napoli’s wider fraud scheme, Robert Napoli actually did the work he was paid to do.

But strict government rules meant it was unlikely he would have been awarded the work in the first place, if Nino Napoli had declared his conflict of interest instead of funnelling the work through other companies.

Judge George Georgiou will sentence Robert Napoli on January 27, and warned him he could be jailed, despite ordering him to be assessed for a community corrections order.