Full list of Mackay business owners and their criminal activity

They were some of Mackay's made-it business owners, who were living double lives as elaborate hydroponic drug growers to thieves undone by sex. The region's high flyers busted for crime can be revealed. Full list.

From a small-business owner threatening to drive through a popular pub, to another stealing sex toys from the same shop across three months, some of Mackay’s business owners have been busy outside of work.

Here are some of Mackay’s businessmen and women who have received jail sentences for their criminal behaviour.

Stephen Frederick Brandenburg

A Mackay father was busted pushing drugs because his training business was failing and the bills were piling up.

Police searched Stephen Frederick Brandenburg’s car on March 26, 2020, and seized 3.287kg of marijuana, $5500 in cash and a number of empty clip seal bags.

The 61 year old had been working in the mines when he seriously hurt his back in 2005, and was forced to leave the job in 2009 because of the injury.

The Mackay man pleaded guilty to four charges including trafficking and aggravated drug possession in March 2021.

He was jailed for three-and-a-half years, to be suspended after five months.

Convictions were recorded.

Joseph Robert Mazzaracca

An intoxicated man with blood all over his face warned Dingo Beach Hotel patrons to clear the building because he was “about to drive straight through it” after he was refused service.

Joseph Robert Mazzaracca had been attempting to buy his third bottle of vodka for the day when he made the threat in front of hotel staff, who immediately alerted police.

Joseph Robert Mazzaracca was sentenced to a three-month suspended jail term and a $300 fine. after he threatened to drive his car into Dingo Beach pub

When staff refused to serve him, he yelled at another patron to “get out of the hotel because I’m about to drive straight through it”.

When Magistrate James Morton asked Mazzaracca if he thought he had a drinking problem, the small business owner revealed a custody dispute with his ex-wife over their daughter had triggered the incident.

Representing himself in court, Mazzaracca pleaded guilty to drunk and disorderly conduct, public nuisance, and obstructing police.

He was sentenced to a three-month suspended jail term and a $300 fine.

Joseph Robert Mazzaracca was sentenced to a three-month suspended jail term and a $300 fine. after he threatened to drive his car into Dingo Beach pub

Mazzaracca also had to complete 40 hours of unpaid community service and was banned from the Dingo Beach Hotel for 12 months.

Convictions were recorded.

Jai Luke Paget

A Proserpine drug-driver was convicted of multiple charges after he swerved into oncoming traffic on the Bruce Highway while affected by a cocktail of drugs and alcohol.

Jai Luke Paget faced the Proserpine Magistrates Court over a dangerous driving incident at Calen on December 7, 2020.

The court heard police were on their way to a separate incident when, about 4.20pm, spotted Paget’s white Toyota HiLux “swerving all over” the highway, including over a blind crest in the right lane.

The court heard Paget also veered into the path of an oncoming semi-truck, whose driver had to take evasive action and swerve off the road to avoid a collision.

Testing revealed Paget was under the influence of both amphetamine and methylamphetamine at the time of the incident and had a blood alcohol reading of 0.028 per cent.

Jai Luke Paget was sentenced to two-month suspended jail term, which will hang over Paget’s head until July, 2022. He was also fined $450 and disqualified from driving for 15 months.

Officers found two small bags of crystal-like substance in Paget’s vehicle, as well as a large hunting knife, the court heard.

The qualified arborist and business operator told police it was the weight of the load in the back of his ute that included two toolboxes and a tree saw that had caused him to swerve on the road.

Paget’s solicitor Peta Vernon argued her client was tired and heat affected at the time of the incident as he had been working in the sun on an “extremely hot day”.

Paget pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving under the influence of liquor or a drug, possessing dangerous drugs and possessing a knife in a public place.

On April 20, 2021, Magistrate James Morton imposed a two-month suspended prison sentence, which will hang over Paget’s head until July, 2022.

He was also fined $450 and disqualified from driving for 15 months.

Convictions were recorded.

Kim Barbara Walters and Thomas Davis Walters

A Mount Ossa couple was placed on a good behaviour bond after the discovery of 139 marijuana plants on their property.

Married couple Kim Barbara Walters, 56, and Thomas Davis Walters, 68, were subject to a search warrant on their former fruit and cattle property on August 11, 2019, where police found a total of 31.76kg of marijuana and a sophisticated set-up.

Officers found a small amount of marijuana in a van, 13 small plants and one mature plant on a plot (with a total wet weight of 2.06kg) and, with the use of a drone, found 125 plants ranging from seedlings to mature plants in the bush (weighing 29.7kg).

Kim and Tom Walters were jailed for six months, wholly suspended for 12 months, for their sophisticated set-up.

Thomas Walters’ defence barrister Scott Malcolmson said his client had previously worked as a boilermaker before working cattle and selling fruit from the couple’s property.

Both pleaded guilty to aggravated possession, producing dangerous drugs and possessing things used in commission of crime.

They were each jailed for six months, wholly suspended for 12 months.

Cameron John Dent

A Sarina spray painter with a history of being a “pest” was caught out when he unlawfully used his customer’s car to enjoy a “personal errand”.

In May 2021, the owner of a Ford Ranger took his car to Cameron John Dent to repaint the vehicle’s body and fix some wiring issues.

But five days after he dropped off the car, the owner was shocked to receive a call from police that his Ranger had been used in a crime.

The spray painter had initially told police he had used his customer’s Ford Ranger to drop a friend to Caneland Central in Mackay — a tale his defence lawyer Ashley Reynolds confessed had missed a slight detour.

Cameron John Dent was sentenced to three months jail wholly suspended. The jail sentence will hang over his head for 18 months.

“He took [the car] into town to get the front-end colour matched,” Ms Reynolds said.

“But, on his way in he didn’t take it to Caneland.

“He stopped to see a prostitute.”

The court heard it was during Dent’s “personal errand” that the car was stolen, along with Dent’s own belongings.

Dent pleaded guilty in Mackay Magistrates Court on September 15, 2021, to obstructing police, assault of a police officer, failure to appear and unlawful possession of a vehicle, two counts of public nuisance.

Cameron John Dent was sentenced to three months jail wholly suspended. The jail sentence will hang over his head for 18 months.

Dent was sentenced to three months jail wholly suspended. The jail sentence will hang over his head for 18 months.

He was fined a total of $1300 and ordered to pay $600 restitution to the Ford Ranger’s owner.

He was banned from the Sarina Hotel for six months.

Thomas Bezuidenhout

A Mackay man caught out “double dipping” at work avoided going to jail after a magistrate found there were “exceptional features” to the case.

Thomas Bezuidenhout was working as a full-time fire technician for Chubb Fire and Safety Pty Ltd when he began what was meant to be a side hustle on his days off.

Mackay Magistrates Court heard he registered a business under his own name and began working for Moranbah North Mine.

Soon the 38 year old was invoicing for jobs he had completed during his work hours.

The court heard the jobs he completed for Moranbah North Mine should have gone through his employer.

Instead, he invoiced them directly, earning an extra $27,024.50 over 10 months.

Bezuidenhout pleaded guilty to fraud – dishonest application of property of another by an employee, between September 2019 and July 2020.

He was jailed for two years, wholly suspended for five years, and ordered to pay the $27,024.50 immediately.

A conviction was recorded.

Luke Stanley Cholava

A kinky tradie was caught red handed pinching a variety of sex toys worth $270 from an adult shop in Mackay during a two-month crime spree.

Luke Stanley Cholava visited The Diva’s Den about six times, swiping at least eight adult toys from the Wood St store.

Mackay Magistrates Court heard the total cost of the stolen sex toys was $271.68.

Luke Stanley Cholava pleaded guilty in Mackay Magistrates Court to a string of stealing offences including multiple thefts from The Diva's Den on Wood St.

The 45-year-old qualified panel beater pleaded guilty to 16 charges including the multiple counts of stealing from The Diva’s Den, as well as drug-driving, possessing drugs and utensils, failing to appear and breaching bail.

Legal Aid Queensland solicitor Rosie Varley said her client now had stable accommodation and had started his own panel shop one month prior.

Luke Stanley Cholava pleaded guilty in Mackay Magistrates Court to a string of stealing offences including multiple thefts from The Diva's Den on Wood St.

Cholava was jailed for six months, wholly suspended for two years.

He was fined $3500 and ordered to pay $271.68 restitution.

He was also disqualified from driving for eight months.

Convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Full list of Mackay business owners and their criminal activity