By Cameron Houston, Marta Pascual Juanola and Madeleine Heffernan
Luxury car swindler and former bankrupt Andrew Triantafyllos was the intended target of an arson attack at a multimillion-dollar home in Essendon.
Two cars – an SUV and a ute – were set alight and driven through the fence of the double-storey house in McCracken Street at 2am on Tuesday, in what police described as a targeted attack.
Andrew Triantafyllos’ home was firebombed in Essendon overnight. Credit: The Age
Triantafyllos and his 32-year-old partner were inside the rental property at the time but were not injured.
On Tuesday morning, police remained outside the house, which had minor damage to a front window.
A police spokesperson said the circumstances of the attack were yet to be determined.
“It is believed the incident was a targeted attack,” they said.
Triantafyllos, who also uses the names Andy and Jason and switches his surname to Trianafyllou or Triantos, declined to comment about the arson attack when contacted by this masthead.
“It is not my home that has been attacked; please leave me alone,” he said.
Rental records reveal the 47-year-old and his partner have rented the $2.7 million home since last August.
Triantafyllos was declared bankrupt in 2018 after repeatedly refusing to pay dozens of creditors – including $5.8 million to the Australian Taxation Office – by placing his debt-laden companies into liquidation, transferring assets and opening new businesses.
One of the cars that slammed into the Essendon house.Credit: Paul Rovere
Since 2004, he has often used “straw directors” – including his elderly mother and a former exotic dancer from Kittens Strip Club – to conceal his involvement from corporate regulators.
His company Supercar Garage, which was registered by a company linked to Triantafyllos’ mother, Chrysoula Coutlakis, collapsed in 2019 owing almost $283,000 to more than a dozen customers.
A liquidator’s report identified potential “illegal phoenix activity” at Supercar Garage, along with other possible criminal offences and breaches of the Corporations Act.
“During the last six months prior to liquidation, the available records of the company show that numerous payments were made to Mr Andreas Triantafyllos, who appears to be a related party or employee of the company,” a 2019 report by liquidator Hall Chadwick said.
In September 2018, Consumer Affairs Victoria issued a warning about Melbourne Luxury Car Hire, another company linked to Triantafyllos. The regulator received 46 complaints about security deposits that were not returned in a “timely manner, or at all”.
“You should be very cautious before dealing with Melbourne Luxury Car Hire,” Consumer Affairs’ then director, Simon Cohen, said at the time.
Before Melbourne Luxury Car Hire, there was Dream Drives Melbourne in Richmond, which Triantafyllos also operated from behind the scenes.
When Dream Drives was placed into liquidation, it was accused of withholding deposits worth $481,000 from 22 customers, while also failing to pay $296,000 to a vehicle owner.
One disgruntled client engaged former Comanchero enforcer Hasan Topal to recoup their debt. The notorious bikie, who is now on remand in a Turkish prison, punched an employee in the face over a $20,000 deposit that had been withheld.
Topal was convicted of the assault, which left the victim with a fractured eye socket.
A court heard that he told staff at Dream Drives: “I’m going to start beating you guys up one by one, and then destroy your cars one by one.”
A month later, the Dream Drives premises were sprayed with bullets. No one was charged over the shooting.
Bikie boss and former model Hasan Topal.Credit: George Poulakis
ASIC documents show the first luxury car hire company that Triantafyllos directed was VIP Executive Car Rentals in 2004, before it was deregistered in 2006. Consumer Affairs took Triantafyllos to court as the director of VIP Executive Car Rentals in 2005, when he was ordered to pay back almost $300,000 in deposits.
Triantafyllos has been linked to a new scam involving the purchase of luxury vehicles that are often under finance to non-bank lenders.
Less than three months after being discharged from bankruptcy, he founded a new company, Cast Holdings Pty Ltd, in July 2021, which claims online to be an “innovative solutions provider servicing a range of industries”.
Triantafyllos used the new corporate structure to scam a Brisbane-based software engineer who had borrowed from Pepper Money to buy a Tesla Model 3.
Police at the scene on Tuesday.Credit: Paul Rovere
A cheque from Triantafyllos to Pepper Money bounced. The money was only repaid to the owner when Triantafyllos was contacted by The Age last month.
Essendon locals said on Tuesday that this was not the first time a car had been set alight at the McCracken Street house, radio station 3AW reported. Nine News said another car was set on fire outside the property during the day in the past couple of months.
The property has at least six visible CCTV cameras along its border.
Anyone who witnessed Tuesday’s incident or has information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
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