Former LJ Hooker franchisee Truc Thanh Le Nguyen accused of stealing $6 million
MORE than $6 million was misappropriated by a former LJ Hooker franchisee, who will stand trial over hundreds of charges, a court has heard.
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MORE than $6 million was misappropriated by a former LJ Hooker franchisee, who will stand trial over hundreds of charges, a court has heard.
Truc Thanh Le Nguyen — also known as Judy Thanh Truc and Judy Nguyen — fronted the County Court on November 2 after pleading not guilty to a total 345 charges in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court the day prior.
Tania Bolton, for Consumer Affairs Victoria and Office of Public Prosecutions, told the court Ms Nguyen’s indictable charges were related to fraud under the Estate Agents Act, and involved “approximately $6.4 million.”
The Magistrates’ Court had previously heard about $4 million had gone missing, but some had been paid back so the total loss was $2.1 million.
The court heard 24 witnesses would be called in Ms Nguyen’s case, which could involve three separate trials, at a duration of three weeks each, due to the huge volume.
Consumer Affairs Victoria brought 22 new charges and withdrew eight others against Ms Nguyen at a committal hearing on November 1.
A trial date was set for 29 April, 2019, with a final directions hearing on February 25, 2019.
Ms Nguyen’s husband and co-accused Tri Duc Ngo, who also goes by Joseph Ngo, is due to face the County Court on November 8 after pleading guilty to 163 charges of his own.
Ms Nguyen and Mr Ngo are accused of plundering trust accounts and stealing house deposits of clients of six LJ Hooker offices in Melbourne’s east — of which Ms Nguyen was the director and her husband an employee — in 2015-16.
Ms Nguyen’s franchises in Glen Waverley, Keysborough, Mount Waverley, Burwood, Doncaster and Box Hill were shut down and taken over by CAV in April last year
The consumer watchdog suspended Ms Nguyen’s real estate license in May after she was employed by a new Springvale agency Oz Capital Real Estate, where she is listed as a “business development manager.”
The director of CAV had approved 62 Victorian Property Fund claims from consumers totalling $2,128,380.77 in connection with the case to November 2.
CAV has also authorised the payment of outstanding rent moneys to 21 claimants from the balance of the estate agent’s rental trust account, totalling $34,564.79.