ShriekingShack
Senior List
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2017
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- #1
How did he pull this off? It's criminal activity, but you have to admire the genius and the sophistication of the scheme. Have you guys ever seen or heard of anything like this before? He nearly got away with it and is now safe in South Africa, out of Australia's reach. He was one step ahead.
Read below:
The masterminds (Left to right): Tiziana, Daniela, Jack and Paolo Merolla
A genius scheme, that almost came off.......almost.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Fremantle Ports worker Jack Merolla and his wife who are believed to have fled the country.
While the parents are believed to have fled Australia, their children Paolo and Tiziana Merolla face years in jail for their alleged role laundering property in the scheme, which could date back as far as 2014.
Giacomo 'Jack' Merolla, a navigation aids and maintenance manager at the port, allegedly raised false invoices for several shelf companies in Australia and overseas, "directing monies to his own benefit".
Mr Merolla's role involved maintaining beacons, lighthouses and other navigation aids used to enter and exit the harbour safely
Police swooped on two properties and a storage facility linked to the family, where they allegedly found more than $70,000 in cash hidden in a lockbox.
They also allegedly uncovered evidence of corrupt business practices dating back to 2014, including the use of shelf companies to redirect public funds to bank accounts controlled by Mr Merolla.
While the extent of the rort was still being investigated, police alleged it involved several contracts worth more than a million dollars in total.
"To date, more than one million has been identified as being transferred to bank accounts controlled by the shelf companies," a police spokesman said.
On Tuesday, detectives issued an arrest warrant for Mr Merolla and his wife Daniela, 54, who have since fled the country and attempted to get rid of their Australian assets, including their Woodvale home. Police believe the pair travelled to South Africa, where they lived previously.
Mr Merolla is facing 23 counts of corruption and 34 of property laundering. Daniella is facing 24 counts of property laundering.
The couple's children, Paolo Vincenzo Merolla, 23, and Tiziana Merolla, 28, faced Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with seven and two counts of property laundering, respectively.
They were not required to enter a plea and were released on bail until their next court appearance on August 11.
Link here:
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Read below:
The masterminds (Left to right): Tiziana, Daniela, Jack and Paolo Merolla
A genius scheme, that almost came off.......almost.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Fremantle Ports worker Jack Merolla and his wife who are believed to have fled the country.
While the parents are believed to have fled Australia, their children Paolo and Tiziana Merolla face years in jail for their alleged role laundering property in the scheme, which could date back as far as 2014.
Giacomo 'Jack' Merolla, a navigation aids and maintenance manager at the port, allegedly raised false invoices for several shelf companies in Australia and overseas, "directing monies to his own benefit".
Mr Merolla's role involved maintaining beacons, lighthouses and other navigation aids used to enter and exit the harbour safely
Police swooped on two properties and a storage facility linked to the family, where they allegedly found more than $70,000 in cash hidden in a lockbox.
They also allegedly uncovered evidence of corrupt business practices dating back to 2014, including the use of shelf companies to redirect public funds to bank accounts controlled by Mr Merolla.
While the extent of the rort was still being investigated, police alleged it involved several contracts worth more than a million dollars in total.
"To date, more than one million has been identified as being transferred to bank accounts controlled by the shelf companies," a police spokesman said.
On Tuesday, detectives issued an arrest warrant for Mr Merolla and his wife Daniela, 54, who have since fled the country and attempted to get rid of their Australian assets, including their Woodvale home. Police believe the pair travelled to South Africa, where they lived previously.
Mr Merolla is facing 23 counts of corruption and 34 of property laundering. Daniella is facing 24 counts of property laundering.
The couple's children, Paolo Vincenzo Merolla, 23, and Tiziana Merolla, 28, faced Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with seven and two counts of property laundering, respectively.
They were not required to enter a plea and were released on bail until their next court appearance on August 11.
Link here:
[/URL]
