John Doumani, Chris Pappas, Daniel Seymour: Huge twist in multimillion-dollar Gold Coast boiler room fraud case

Several men charged with being involved in one of the Gold Coast’s most prominent alleged boiler room fraud schemes may now never face trial. It comes after charges were dropped entirely against another previously accused. FIND OUT WHY

Three Gold Coasters allegedly involved in a multimillion-dollar boiler room fraud - selling false betting products - may never face trial after an “exceptional” court judgment.

John Doumani, Christopher John Pappas, and Daniel Kenneth Seymour will be protected from further prosecution indefinitely, following the permanent stay in proceedings granted in Southport District Court this week.

Mr Doumani is charged with 32 counts of fraud, his co-accused Mr Seymour with 10 and Mr Pappas with two.

It was to be alleged under the latest indictment that the trio were involved in a business previously suspected of selling false betting products or services, ripping off about $2.35m from investors.

Jack Doumani (second right) and son John (far left) outside Southport Magistrates Court after appearing on fraud charges on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015. (AAP Image/Ed Jackson)

When charges were first laid, police alleged the wider operation raked in $59m.

Judge Rowan Jackson found this week that the “exceptional step” of a permanent stay was the only means of preventing the case becoming oppressive for the accused, as submitted in an application from their legal team.

Judge Jackson said the charges and allegations put forward by the Crown – already revised several times throughout the case’s years-long history – remained defective and unsatisfactory.

“There are still defects in the particulars, some of which are extraordinary given the sort of care that should be applied to a large case of this kind,” he said.

“It is submitted that a stay ought to be granted because the applicants’ lives have been seriously affected over many years, while the Crown has sought to subject them to unnecessary and deficient proceedings.”

Chris Pappas

The court was told the trio’s earliest alleged offending, on the Crown’s case, dated back to 2012 and that the legal stoush had stretched out for about eight years, which their defence counsel argued had come at significant cost financially and to their freedom.

A permanent stay was also granted last year in the case of Mr Doumani’s father, Jack Doumani, who was also previously alleged to have been involved in the fraud scheme. All charges against him have since been dropped.

It was submitted by the trio’s defence that their cases suffered the same flaws as Jack Doumani’s and that the prosecution of all four cases should have stopped at the same time.

None of their cases were ever formally listed for trial.

The boiler room fraud case has been one of the most prominent of its kind on the Gold Coast in recent years.

Jack and John Doumani being arrested at their Broadbeach Waters home in 2015. Photo: Kit Wise

Photographs depict a smiling Jack Doumani and his son being arrested at their lavish Broadbeach Waters home in October, 2015, where police seized a $200,000 Bentley and a $180,000 Audi among other luxury items.

It has previously been reported the elder Doumani was a school friend of Melbourne underworld figure Tony Mokbel.

Mr Pappas and Mr Seymour were both arrested in 2016 in relation to the alleged scheme.

Best known for his success as a racing driver, Mr Pappas was involved in a fiery high-speed crash at Bundall in 2022, with he and his passenger pulled from the burning wreckage of his $330,000 McLaren supercar.

It was reported at the time that he and the woman were “lucky” to escape with minor injuries.

Originally published as John Doumani, Chris Pappas, Daniel Seymour: Huge twist in multimillion-dollar Gold Coast boiler room fraud case