Conman lived it up at the casino
Anthony George Collie was living it loud and large, burning up tens of thousands of dollars a day at Perth's Crown casino on the tables, in the restaurants and in his own luxurious $6500-a-night Infinity suite.
The problem was, it wasn't his money he was burning.
An unlikely looking master fraudster, Collie was in fact spending the cash of unsuspecting investors in a fictitious internet business the 32-year-old had concocted to persuade them to hand over almost $200,000 in cash and credit cards.
After finally being sprung trying to steal hundreds of thousands of shares from the private trading account of one of the same clients, Collie admitted to his major frauds - and told police he couldn't believe how easy it was.
Collie was yesterday jailed for five years, with parole eligibility after three, and having already served two years since his arrest in April 2013.
That came when police swooped on room 868 at the Crown Metropol, where Collie had been living for just over a month.
His less-glamorous regular address in Thornlie was where he had dreamt up the scheme to provide the cash to pay for his spiralling gambling habit, and taste for the high life.
The tale was simple but enticing.
Collie claimed he had a contract with internet company Zettanet to provide computer server services, in exchange for a contract salary of $32,000 a month.
But he needed cash up front to buy the equipment to do the work.
So two investors, Alex White and Ross Graham, were scammed into jumping aboard.
Mr White handed over cheques for $29,000, $25,000, $12,000 and $11,000 with the help of his daughter Eva O'Malley, an accountant.
Then Collie told both men how Zettanet bosses were flying to Perth to conclude the deal and he needed the means to wine and dine them.
Could he have authorisation to use their credit cards?
Amazingly, they agreed, leading to a party that cost $98,600.50 in just eight days.
In the District Court, lawyer Jim Sutherland remarked at the "comparative ease" with which his client had persuaded intelligent people to part with their money. "He makes the observation that he didn't really have to say very much at all," Mr Sutherland said.
And with a psychologist admitting he was also baffled at Collie's crimes, Judge Richard Keen voiced another theory as he imposed the jail term, and compensation orders totalling $197,963. "It may just mean he's a very competent conman," Judge Keen said.
