File against former top cop runs to 10 million pages
QUEENSLAND police will tender its largest-ever brief in the case against a former Gold Coast detective they allege mastminded a multimilliondollar boiler room scam.
Former high-ranking Mick Featherstone was cop arrested early last year for allegedly duping hundreds of people out of $15-$20 million.
Victims were allegedly asked to pay $500-1000 for a trial of software and encouraged to sign 12-month contracts.
“It’s been described as the biggest brief ever prepared by the Queensland Police Service,” Barrister Alastair McDougall said. “It’s 10.3 million pages. I reckon probably within a year we will have a committal hearing. We’re trying to sort out some funding issues with Legal Aid.”
Queensland Police Service Fraud and Cyber Crime Group boss Detective Superintendent Terry Lawrence said fraud cases often required large briefs due to the paperworkheavy nature of the compilation of police evidence.
“(With crimes involving cold-call investment fraud) you might have a couple of hundred victims — there’s a couple of hundred statements straight up,” he said.
Mr McDougall said he did not expect Featherstone’s case to go back to court until 2018.
Police will allege Featherstone’s wife, Zoei Keong, and his son, Zach, played a role in the scam. The scam allegedly involved victims buying investment or betting software.
Featherstone is a former Surfers Paradise criminal investigation branch boss and fraud squad member.