The Court: County Court of Victoria
The Lawyer: David Dribbin
The Charges:
The Allegations:
The client was a 41-year-old father of two who slowly built a portfolio of residential investment properties with the financial help of family and close friends. The client met a high-risk investment advisor who promised the client high returns on overseas property investments. The client then invested heavily in the scheme, believing the investment advisor, who was later revealed to be unlicensed.
The client lost a significant amount of money. Facing mounting pressure and panic, the client began a series of deceptive borrowing practices, in some cases using fraudulent documents, in an attempt to recoup the losses. The client borrowed a total of four million dollars from various institutions and friends.
At Court:
The matter was heard in the County Court of Victoria due to the substantial amount of money involved. Several factors were in the client’s favour, including his assistance with the police and their investigation. He had made full admissions to the police during his recorded interview. He was also extremely remorseful for what he had done to his friends and family and was suffering from chronic depression.
Our solicitor had the client engage with a forensic psychologist before the plea hearing to obtain a forensic report, which was then tendered to the court in support of the client. During the plea, our solicitor made lengthy submissions to the Judge regarding the client’s mitigating circumstances.
The Outcome:
Taking all these matters into account, the Judge imposed a five-year custodial sentence and a non-parole period of three years. Given the large amount of money taken, this was an excellent outcome.
