Director in jail when ‘bad’ loans signed off
Then bailed after burglary admitted
THE sole director of two Gold Coast finance companies alleged to have ripped off tens of thousands of dollars from clients was in jail while loan documents were sent to investors.
Jarred Raymond Scott, 31, appeared in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court yesterday after pleading guilty for a separate burglary charge.
Scott is being investigated for his ties to two finance firms called Citi Private Capital Pty Ltd and Halcyon Capital One Pty Ltd.
Both companies purport to be private non-bank lenders offering a range of services including property development and construction loans, commercial/business loans and others.
The two companies are alleged to have charged upfront fees – ranging in the tens of thousands of dollars – for loans that were never delivered.
Yesterday, it was revealed that Scott was in prison between January 8-June 23 this year after being charged for a burglary on December 30 in Loganholme.
He was in jail for the six months for breaching parole, the Beenleigh Court was told on Thursday.
The Bulletin has obtained loan documents sent to clients from Citi Private Capital and allegedly signed by Jarred Scott during the period when he was in prison.
They include a loan offer for more than $5 million sent to a Brisbane businessman on April 19. The businessman paid $7500 in upfront fees but the loan allegedly was not delivered.
Outside of court on Thursday, Scott told the Gold Coast Bulletin he had nothing to do with the companies or any fraud.
He said a man called Anton Mentz, who he said was in fact convicted fraudster Marius Ackerman, was using his name.
In a phone call yesterday afternoon, Scott said he was the director in name only but was under the influence of drugs at the time he agreed to be a director of the companies.
“Do I know anything about finance? Absolutely f***ing nothing,” he said.
“People have gone to CPC and been screwed over and I want to make sure it’s clear that it wasn’t me.
“I have proof of transactions/authorisations that wasn’t me.”
Scott said he was in prison when loan documents were sent purporting to have been signed by him.
“I was in jail. How could I have signed paperwork? How could I have done anything?”
Ackerman this month phoned the Bulletin to deny the allegations and threaten legal action.
In 2013, Ackerman was jailed for three-and-a-half years for scamming $110,000 from people who paid for British bulldog puppies but never received the prized pets.
Two years later he was jailed for seven years for setting up three separate businesses and using them to engineer false claims for GST refunds.
Ackerman sent the Bulletin a legal letter claiming he had not received any notice from any authorities alleging he has used a false identity, and demanding that “no further salacious, false and misleading material is published”.
Yesterday Scott’s father – an ex-police officer – was visibly shaken during his son’s sentencing.
Police prosecutor Zoe Melksham said at 1am on December 30 Scott, who works as a concrete polisher, went to a storage facility in Loganholme where he rents a unit.
He gained entry using a code for the facility and was driving a yellow van while an associate followed in a white utility vehicle, the court was told. Scott then went to his own unit while his associate went to the victims’ unit and broke in stealing $70,000 worth of machinery and tools. The pair then drove away. Ms Melksham said police identified Scott as the driver of the yellow van using CCTV footage and he was later arrested after police executed a search warrant.
His parole, still in force from a 2014 sentence in the Brisbane Supreme Court on a number of offences including possessing explosives and weapons, was suspended as a result and Scott was sent back to prison for the period January 8 to June 23.
Ms Melksham said a substantial amount of the stolen property had later been recovered.
She asked for Scott to serve a term of imprisonment.
Defence lawyer Lex Weddell said Scott had worked as a concrete polisher for the past nine years and was able to make restitution to the victims.
Mr Weddell said Scott had used drugs in the past and relapsed late last year which had led to the offending.
He asked for the court to sentence him to a period of probation that enabled him to keep working and make restitution.
Magistrate Michael O’Driscoll described Scott’s criminal history as “deplorable”.
He said a sentence of imprisonment was appropriate but owing to “unusual” circumstances he was prepared to make a probation order.
“You were obviously misled by some other person who cajoled you into misconduct. You should have said ‘no’ – it is that simple.”
A conviction was recorded and a probation order made for three years.
He set restitution $10,000. at