Richard Tovey bailed despite facing 61 fraud-related charges
More than 50 people have allegedly been scammed out of almost $300,000, but the man accused of swindling them out of their hard-earned cash is back on the streets, despite a stern warning from police.
Police & Courts
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An alleged serial fraudster accused of scamming more than 50 victims out of almost $300,000 has been released on bail, despite police warning he is “guaranteed” to continue his deceptive ways.
Richard Tovey, 58, allegedly used his heating and cooling business to collect tens of thousands of dollars in deposits for work he never completed across dozens of suburbs throughout Melbourne.
Mr Tovey is facing 61 fraud-related charges after allegedly leaving scores of families high and dry in a sophisticated operation to fund his “lavish lifestyle”, a court has heard.
Police allege Mr Tovey used multiple aliases to hide his true identity from his alleged victims, before delaying installations for months, having “subcontractors” conduct sporadic, damaging work then repeatedly dodging customers’ demands for refunds.
Mr Tovey was granted bail this week after his high-profile barrister Robert Richter QC successfully argued the failed businessman was not at risk of reoffending, despite being on bail for identical charges at the time of his arrest.
In October last year detectives swooped on Mr Tovey’s $1.2 million Glenburn estate and arrested him, seizing phones and invoice books.
Mr Tovey was granted bail the same day under strict conditions.
Detective Senior Constable Dean Harris said within days he was “back to his merry ways”, soliciting deposits for work that was never undertaken.
Between his first arrest on October 29 and subsequent arrest on February 26, Mr Tovey wrote a whopping 156 invoices for customers, the court heard.
Detective Harris estimated Mr Tovey had completed just one in 10 of those jobs and opposed his release, stating the number of victims of the alleged fraud was “guaranteed to continue to grow daily”.
And it was not the first time the businessman had fallen foul of the law, the court heard.
In 2014, Mr Tovey and his wife, Mardi, were fined $100,000 in civil action brought by Consumer Affairs Victoria after his previous airconditioning company was found to have engaged in “identical” misleading and deceptive conduct.
Mr Tovey was disqualified from requesting or accepting prepaid deposits for any airconditioning related services until 2024.
Meanwhile, Mr Tovey’s tearful wife pleaded for her husband’s release in court this week, saying he was a “good man” who was only trying to provide for his family.
“Knowing how hard he tries, I understand that he was trying his very best,” she said.
“I think the only dishonest thing he has done has been to take a chocolate bar from the cupboard and say he didn’t,” Ms Tovey said.
Ms Tovey, who was listed as a director of the couple’s previous company which was the subject of the 2014 civil action, said she was completely unaware of her husband’s alleged deception.
“What he does, he does for his family, he doesn’t intend to hurt anyone,” she said.
In court, Mr Richter argued his client’s risk of reoffending was greatly reduced following the revelation of his double life to his family and his business being cut off.
“He clocked up a lot of debt he simply could not pay, but he intended to pay,” Mr Richter said.
The court heard Michael Tovey – also a prominent Melbourne silk – had provided a character reference for his brother Richard.
Magistrate Jelena Popovic granted bail under strict conditions and said she would “happily revoke it” should he slip up again.
Mr Tovey will return to court in June.
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