Court documents reveal bikie threats used against abattoir boss

Police allege a man charged with cattle theft and fraud used bikie threats against his abattoir boss. This is what the court documents reveal.

A southern NSW man charged with cattle theft threatened an abattoir boss that he was in imminent danger from outlaw motorcycle gangs, police allege.

Wantabadgery man Samuel Robert Mooney was charged with stealing 18 Angus cattle from the famed Wantabadgery Station in southern NSW after a police operation in November last year.

It is alleged he sold the heifers, with a market value of $18,000, through the Wagga Wagga Livestock Marketing Centre on November 4, 2024.

However, in charges, unrelated to the alleged Wantabadgery Station theft, documents submitted to Wagga Wagga Local Court this week, show an additional six charges against Mr Mooney, which indicate an alleged pattern of stalking and intimidation and fraud.

In one of three alleged attempts to gain financial advantage by deception, and stalk, intimidate and intend fear charges the police facts state that Mr Mooney “manufactured a story about the abattoir boss and his family being in imminent danger from outlaw bikie gangs.”

The plan was to receive a sum of $90,000. There were two other incidents where police allege that Mr Mooney threatened the abattoir boss with intent to gain $15,000 and $10,000.

In Wagga Wagga Local Court on Wednesday, Mr Mooney, through his solicitor, Sara Black pleaded not guilty to all charges.

As a result of the three counts of stalk/intimidate and intend fear, physical harm charges, magistrate Alexander Murray took out an apprehended violence order with the abattoir boss named as the person in need of protection.

NSW Rural Crime Prevention team officers have charged a man from Wantabadgery over seven alleged offences. Picture: NSW Police

The three stalk/intimidate intend fear charges and the three fraud charges have been listed for a hearing in Wagga Wagga Local Court on October 27 and 28.

The steal cattle charge, relating to the alleged theft of heifers from Wantabadgery Station, is listed for mention in Wagga Wagga Local Court again on March 19.

Initially, Mr Mooney was refused bail when he was charged last year; however, conditional bail was granted in Wagga Wagga Local Court on January 22. On Wednesday, Mr Mooney’s bail conditions continued, with three Riverina and Wagga Wagga rural businesses and farms listed as locations that could not be entered or approached. He is also not to contact a number of prosecution witnesses.