Rye couple who defrauded family and friends jailed

A RYE couple who duped family and friends of hundreds of thousands of dollars over eight years have been jailed.

Husband and wife Frank and Lepa Alesi on holiday in Queensland.

A VICTORIAN “Bonnie and Clyde” duo who duped family and friends of more than $700,000 in an elaborate eight-year scam have been locked up.

Frank and Lepa Alesi will spend a minimum of three years in jail for their brazen offending spanning from 2002 to 2010.

The Rye husband and wife fooled those who knew them into giving them hundreds of thousands of dollars on the promise it would be invested and give them significant returns.

Husband and wife Frank and Lepa Alesi on holiday in Queensland. Picture: Supplied

But instead, the unemployed pair used it to fund their own lifestyle.

Family members, a neighbour and Mrs Alesi’s hairdresser were among the victims.

County Court Judge Brett Meredith said: “Your offending appeared to be motivated by greed.

“Your breach of trust was gross. You’ve both behaved disgracefully.”

The court heard how the pair, when confronted by some of the victims to get their money back, lied and said Mrs Alesi had terminal cancer and was in hospital.

AN alleged Bonnie and Clyde duo from Gippsland will spend at least three years in jail after scamming vulnerable relatives and parents they met through their children's school. Picture: Mike Keating.

They then organised a bogus email that claimed to be from a solicitor, and ensuring their funds were safely invested, to put them off their trail.

The fraudsters both pleaded guilty to 11 charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception, one charge of obtain property by deception, and one charge of theft.

Mrs Alesi, 46, also plead guilty to a second charge of obtain property by deception after she conned a family member into giving her $4000, saying she needed it to get her wedding ring back from a pawn shop.

Husband and wife Frank and Lepa Alesi on holiday in Queensland. Picture: Supplied

An earlier committal hearing at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court in February heard the cunning pair preyed on Mr Alesi’s uncle, Guido Alesi, who was struggling with a marriage breakdown.

The uncle said he gave the married couple $350,000 to keep in a trust account after they encouraged him to conceal his assets from his wife.

“I presumed they were helping me,” he said.

Judge Meredith said the financial impact on the uncle had been “catastrophic”.

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