General News
18 June, 2025
Swindler charged with 28 offences
A 30-year-old man will appear before the Horsham Magistrates’ Court next week on June 25, after being charged with 28 offences of deception and false documentation.
The Western Australian was arrested in Ararat on July 8, 2024.
After a lengthy investigation, the Horsham Family Violence Investigation Unit detectives have charged him with 10 counts of obtaining property by deception and 13 counts of making a false document.
He allegedly fooled family by pretending to be a cancer patient and deceived them into handing over more than $1 million.
He allegedly used the profits of a family home sale in Alfredton without telling his partner.
The man attempted to conceal the missing funds by claiming he had made an investment and would receive a $2 million profit.
However, when the $2 million couldn’t be produced, the man allegedly changed his story, claiming a cancer diagnosis and claiming to be a victim of fraud.
It is also alleged that the man deceived family members into handing over an additional $1.2 million by creating false email accounts and impersonating two different lawyers to support his claims.
Police allege that the same man used a fraudulent document to obtain a new car from a Horsham dealership valued at $69,830.