Luke Brett Moore paid off his mortgage, picked himself up an Aston Martin and a Maserati, and even bought a $54,000 power boat – all on the meagre income of a Centrelink allowance.
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The 27-year-old Goulburn man has been found guilty of obtaining financial advantage by deception and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime, the Goulburn Post reported.
In March 2010, Moore opened a Complete Freedom account with Goulburn branch of the St George Bank. He was not expecting to have complete freedom, however.
Over two years, Moore overdrew the account to the tune of $2.189 million. He made transfers into PayPal and National Australia Bank accounts to cover his tracks.
A three-day Goulburn District Court hearing last week found that a staff member's error in setting up the St George Complete Freedom account allowed Moore to overdraw.
Between March and July of 2010, the only credits that appeared in Moore's account were Centrelink benefits, the court heard.
With the freedom to overdraw the account, Moore lived the high life.
He paid off an outstanding mortgage with Rams Home Loans; bought luxury items, including a Maserati, an Aston Martin, an Alfa Romeo and a Stessl power boat; and accrued artworks and memorabilia – from a framed Michael Jordan shirt, to signed photos of Kylie Minogue, Michael Jackson and stars from the TV show Top Gear.
It is these items prosecutors alleged were the products of Moore's crime.
Last week's hearing drew to a close more than two years of uncertainty for Moore and his family.
On the morning of December 12, 2012, police raided Moore's West Goulburn home, seizing hundreds-of-thousands of dollars worth of goods in the process.
He was immediately charged with obtaining financial advantage by deception and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
But only on Thursday, last week – 26 months and seven days after the raid – was he finally found guilty.
A jury found Moore guilty of both offences. On announcing the verdict, a member of Moore's family became distressed and was assisted from the courtroom.
The 27-year-old, who until last week had been free on bail, will remain in custody until his sentence is handed down on April 17 at the Sydney District Court.
