Wife of gangster Jimmey Barkho admits to fraudulently obtaining a $744K loan

The wife of gangster Jimmey Barkho pointed the finger at her husband for roping her into his “foolproof” plan which involved ripping off a bank for a $744,000 home loan.

The glamorous wife of Notorious Crime Family gangster Jimmey Barkho has blamed her husband for roping her into a fraudulent plan to secure a home loan, confessing she regrets not “talking him out of it”.

Mia Coory, 31, fronted the County Court on Friday where she copped a $10,000 fine after she pleaded guilty to obtaining a financial advantage by deception.

The court heard the registered aged care nurse dishonestly obtained the home loan to the tune of $744,000 from the Bank of Melbourne in March 2022.

Prosecutor Sharn Coombes told the court Coory handed over two fake pay slips to the bank in January 2022 while filling out her loan application, which stated she had raked in about $82,000 since July.

Mia Coory leaving the County Court on Friday. Picture: Aaron Francis

But a search warrant later revealed she was lying, with her real pay slips detailing she had only earned about $12,000 because she was on unpaid maternity leave.

She also lied when she told the bank her gross income for the previous financial year was $40,000 greater than it was.

Her defence lawyer Philip Dunn said an “ashamed” Coory only committed the crime after Barkho concocted a “master plan for their future”, which involved them buying a block of land in Tullamarine and building townhouses they could sell.

Mr Dunn said Barkho came up with the “foolproof” plan out of fear he would be thrown in jail for the drug trafficking charge he was facing at the time, and then would not be able to provide for his family.

But the court heard that since he had a poor credit rating, Coory was forced to “go along with the whole idea” and apply for the loan herself, despite not qualifying for it.

“She says had she had her wits about her, she would have never had done any of this and she would have talked him out of it,” Mr Dunn said.

Mia Coory and Notorious Crime Family gangster Jimmey Barkho.

He detailed how the nurse has stuck by her gangster husband since they were teens, even when he developed an “ice habit” and found himself “drifting in and out of trouble”.

Coory, sporting a white dress and black stilettos, sat in the dock as her defence lawyer told the court a psychologist found she shows traits of dependant personality disorder.

According to his report, Coory “agreed to offend so as to avoid losing support or approval from Barkho”.

“He talks about her never really wanting to get involved in the Tullamarine purchase,” Mr Dunn said.

Barkho did not support Coory in court on Friday because he was at home caring for their two-year-old daughter.

Echo Taskforce detectives charged Coory in July 2022 as part of Operation Steelers, which had probed the activities of the Notorious Crime Family.

Jimmey Barkho's bride Mia Coory, prior to their wedding.

The court heard Coory has no prior convictions and no criminal matters pending, with Mr Dunn arguing she should be spared a conviction because it could deprive the community of a hardworking nurse.

He also argued Judge Sandra Davis should take into account the fact the couple has already lost $100,000 after they ended up selling the property for less than they bought it.

Coory smiled as she was fined $10,000 and told by Judge Davis that no conviction would be recorded.

She noted her offending was at a “low level” and no loss was suffered by the bank.

In November last year, Coory applied to have her bail conditions changed so she could jet off for a fairytale honeymoon with Barkho after their lavish wedding.

But Magistrate Donna Bakos said she would not grant any bail variations without knowing more about the whirlwind trip.