Frank De Stefano
Encyclopedia
Frank de Stefano was mayor and councillor of Geelong, Victoria
from 1983 to 1993. In 1988 De Stefano was awarded the Order of Australia
medal for his services to migrant communities. De Stefano resigned from the Order on 2 October 2008]. In 2003 he was imprisoned for ten years on twelve theft charges totaling A$8,606,101.47.
De Stefano was bailed, and on 13 March 2003, later appeared in the Supreme Court of Victoria
for sentencing where he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with a minimum period of seven years. Some of those he stole from included Tomislav Papic, a quadriplegic who was awarded a record A$6 million settlement in a successful law suit against the Geelong Hospital
. Justice Kellam referred to the thefts of Papic's compensation payout as "heartless", saying at De Stefano's sentencing hearing,
De Stefano gambled approximately A$6.6 million during many visits to Crown Casino
in Melbourne
and spending the remainder (approx. A$1.5 million) on personal expenses, including travel, renovations on his Eastern Beach (Geelong) home and donations to the Liberal Party
.
De Stefano was charged with twelve charges of theft. He admitted to all counts, totalling over $8 million from clients as follows:
Geelong Football Club
President, Frank Costa
described De Stefano as a hero to Geelong's Italian community, saying
Julian Michael Clarke in the murder of Keith William Allan. The first occasion was the committal of Clarke at the Melbourne Magistrates Court before Magistrate Barbara Cottrell on 3 July 2003. The other occasions were during Clarke's three trials in the Supreme Court of Victoria
. These were at the first trial before Justice Philip Cummins on 1 March 2004, the second trial before Justice David Byrne on 15 May 2006, and the third trial before Justice John Coldrey on 2 April 2007.
Clarke was one of three persons convicted for murdering Allan at the first and third trials. The verdict at the first trial was annulled by the Victorian Court of Appeal owing to a legal technicality. The second trial was aborted due to a hung jury
. Clarke and the other accused were again found guilty at the third trial. Appeals subsequent to this were all unsuccessful. Allan was murdered in May 2000 and his body has never been found.
De Stefano told the jury during cross-examination at each trial that he was borrowing large sums of money from Clarke to feed his own gambling addiction, and had met Clarke when frequenting the Crown Casino high roller
s room. He said all loans from Clarke were repaid within 24 hours. David Pearson, forensic accountant with the Victoria Police
Major Fraud Group, told the jury that De Stefano was laundering money via Clarke using a series of round robin financial transactions channelled through Allan's trust account totalling $3,75 million. These funds were eventually converted into cheques payable to Crown Casino
Much of the money laundered had been replaced, but $140,000 lent to De Stefano was still outstanding.
on 23 June 2009 that De Stefano would serve out the remainder of his sentence in home detention.
De Stefano will be released from prison and tagged electronically on 13 July, six months earlier than the minimum term of seven years he was sentenced to.
The Adult Parole Board deemed De Stefano to be a 'suitable candidate' in a hearing held during the third week of June 2009.
The Parole Board disclosed that De Stefano, who was bankrupted whilst in jail, would not serve his home detention in Geelong.
Geelong, Victoria
Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, south-west of the state capital; Melbourne. It is the second most populated city in Victoria and the fifth most populated non-capital city in Australia...
from 1983 to 1993. In 1988 De Stefano was awarded the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
medal for his services to migrant communities. De Stefano resigned from the Order on 2 October 2008]. In 2003 he was imprisoned for ten years on twelve theft charges totaling A$8,606,101.47.
$8.6 million theft
De Stefano operated an accountancy business in Geelong from 1978 until 19 April 2000, when he was asked to report to the Geelong police station. He cooperated with police and detailed his theft of approximately $8 million from clients.De Stefano was bailed, and on 13 March 2003, later appeared in the Supreme Court of Victoria
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
for sentencing where he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with a minimum period of seven years. Some of those he stole from included Tomislav Papic, a quadriplegic who was awarded a record A$6 million settlement in a successful law suit against the Geelong Hospital
Geelong Hospital
The Geelong Hospital is an Australian public hospital located in Ryrie Street, Geelong, Victoria. The hospital is part of Barwon Health, Victoria's largest regional health care provider, which has 21 sites. It is the largest hospital in regional Victoria and the only tertiary hospital outside of...
. Justice Kellam referred to the thefts of Papic's compensation payout as "heartless", saying at De Stefano's sentencing hearing,
The theft of $4.98 million from Nexus (Geelong) Pty Ltd is particularly callous and cruel. It was a gross breach of the trust reposed in you. You met with Tomislav Papic on numerous occasions. There can be no doubt that you, at all times, were fully aware of the nature of the grievous injuries from which he suffered and the fact that he required the funds achieved by him as compensation for his horrendous accident to achieve any degree of independence and dignity. The theft by you of his funds took away his independence. Clearly, that must have been known by you. Your conduct in relation to this count was in my view heartless. Tomislav Papic died in October 2001. The victim impact statement filed by his father sets out clearly the trauma that he and his family suffered by reason of your theft. I have no difficulty in accepting the statement of his father that the period of time between April 2000 and the time of his death was a "nightmare" for both Tomislav Papic and his parents.
De Stefano gambled approximately A$6.6 million during many visits to Crown Casino
Crown Casino
Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex is a large casino and entertainment precinct located on the south bank of the Yarra River, in Melbourne, Australia. Crown Casino is a unit of Crown Limited....
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and spending the remainder (approx. A$1.5 million) on personal expenses, including travel, renovations on his Eastern Beach (Geelong) home and donations to the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
.
De Stefano was charged with twelve charges of theft. He admitted to all counts, totalling over $8 million from clients as follows:
- $4,980,175.07, belonging to company Nexus (Geelong) Pty Ltd, a trust setup to manage the affairs of quadriplegic Tomislav Papic
- $1,450,000, belonging to Global Issues Pty Ltd
- $575,307.77 belonging to Norman Williams
- $400,000, belonging to Javni Homes (Geelong) Pty Ltd
- $309,418.89, belonging to investors, Mr and Mrs Fahey
- $250,000, belonging to Francesco Mazza
- $245,000, belonging to Donna Murdoch
- $150,000, belonging to Basil's Plasterers Pty Ltd
- $100,000, belonging to Bendiwi Pty Ltd
- $92,081.21 belonging to K.L. Consultancy Pty Ltd
- $40,464.06, belonging to Popular Pastimes Pty Ltd
- $13,654.47, belonging to Wingrove Pty Ltd
Geelong Football Club
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
President, Frank Costa
Frank Costa
Frank Costa OAM is an entrepreneur, 1997 Order of Australia Medal recipient, and philanthropist. The Geelong native has been a prominent figure in the region for more than four decades, after inheriting the family's produce business in the late 1950s...
described De Stefano as a hero to Geelong's Italian community, saying
"He was a fellow who did an awful lot of very, very good community work in Geelong, that's why it was such as shock to everybody. He was heavily involved in many forms of community support. He was on the council for many years, he was Mayor, he did an awful lot for migrants coming into Geelong."
Witness in murder trial
De Stefano gave evidence on four occasions as a witness in the committal and trials of law clerkLaw clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
Julian Michael Clarke in the murder of Keith William Allan. The first occasion was the committal of Clarke at the Melbourne Magistrates Court before Magistrate Barbara Cottrell on 3 July 2003. The other occasions were during Clarke's three trials in the Supreme Court of Victoria
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
. These were at the first trial before Justice Philip Cummins on 1 March 2004, the second trial before Justice David Byrne on 15 May 2006, and the third trial before Justice John Coldrey on 2 April 2007.
Clarke was one of three persons convicted for murdering Allan at the first and third trials. The verdict at the first trial was annulled by the Victorian Court of Appeal owing to a legal technicality. The second trial was aborted due to a hung jury
Hung jury
A hung jury or deadlocked jury is a jury that cannot, by the required voting threshold, agree upon a verdict after an extended period of deliberation and is unable to change its votes due to severe differences of opinion.- England and Wales :...
. Clarke and the other accused were again found guilty at the third trial. Appeals subsequent to this were all unsuccessful. Allan was murdered in May 2000 and his body has never been found.
De Stefano told the jury during cross-examination at each trial that he was borrowing large sums of money from Clarke to feed his own gambling addiction, and had met Clarke when frequenting the Crown Casino high roller
High roller
A high roller, also referred to as a whale in the casino industry, is a gambler who wagers large amounts of money. High rollers often receive lavish "perks" from casinos to lure them onto the gambling floors, such as free private jet transfers, limousine use and use of the casinos' best suites...
s room. He said all loans from Clarke were repaid within 24 hours. David Pearson, forensic accountant with the Victoria Police
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...
Major Fraud Group, told the jury that De Stefano was laundering money via Clarke using a series of round robin financial transactions channelled through Allan's trust account totalling $3,75 million. These funds were eventually converted into cheques payable to Crown Casino
Crown Casino
Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex is a large casino and entertainment precinct located on the south bank of the Yarra River, in Melbourne, Australia. Crown Casino is a unit of Crown Limited....
Much of the money laundered had been replaced, but $140,000 lent to De Stefano was still outstanding.
Notoriety
As of March 2007, there is still a street named after him in North Geelong. This is a rare honour for a living convicted criminal.Release
It was reported in the Geelong AdvertiserGeelong Advertiser
The Geelong Advertiser is a daily newspaper servicing Geelong, Victoria, Australia, the Bellarine Peninsula and surrounding areas. The Geelong Advertiser is the oldest newspaper title in Victoria and the second oldest in Australia, and was first published on 21 November 1840. The newspaper is...
on 23 June 2009 that De Stefano would serve out the remainder of his sentence in home detention.
De Stefano will be released from prison and tagged electronically on 13 July, six months earlier than the minimum term of seven years he was sentenced to.
The Adult Parole Board deemed De Stefano to be a 'suitable candidate' in a hearing held during the third week of June 2009.
The Parole Board disclosed that De Stefano, who was bankrupted whilst in jail, would not serve his home detention in Geelong.
External links
- Former Geelong mayor jailed for 10 years over $9m theft, The Age, 14 March 2003