Director of Courtenay House sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment for running Australia’s largest Ponzi scheme

Director of Courtenay House sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment for running Australia’s largest Ponzi scheme

Tony Iervasi ran a trading business called ‘Courtenay Trading’ based in Bondi Junction NSW, in which clients deposited funds for the purported purpose of investing in foreign exchange and futures trading. From its inception, the trading business was a Ponzi scheme. Mr Iervasi defrauded about 585 investors, who invested over $180 million for the purpose of trading those funds.

Carousel controls

Director of Courtenay House sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment for running Australia’s largest Ponzi scheme

Location
2024

On 2 September 2024, Tony Iervasi was sentenced in the New South Wales Supreme Court to 11 years’ imprisonment with a non-parole period of seven years. This followed a plea of guilty to four counts of engaging in dishonest conduct in relation to a financial product or financial service and one count of carrying on an unlicensed financial services business, contrary to ss 1041G and 911A of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Corporations Act) respectively.

Melbourne woman sentenced to four years imprisonment for dishonestly obtaining almost $600,000 in GST refunds

Melbourne woman sentenced to four years imprisonment for dishonestly obtaining almost $600,000 in GST refunds

Ms Tahra Wyntjes lodged 27 false Business Activity Statements (BAS) with the ATO, overstating the total sales, GST on sales and GST on purchases purportedly made for her cleaning business. On 16 October 2024, Ms Wyntjes was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of two years and four months. She was also ordered to pay $599,349 in reparations to the Commissioner of Taxation.

Carousel controls

Melbourne woman sentenced to four years imprisonment for dishonestly obtaining almost $600,000 in GST refunds

Location
2024

On 3 November 2021, Ms Tahra Wyntjes registered herself as a sole trader for a business purportedly providing cleaning services. Between 17 November 2021 and 11 March 2022, she lodged 27 false Business Activity Statements (BAS) with the ATO, comprising eight original BAS and 19 amended BAS lodgements. In the BAS, she overstated the total sales, GST on sales and GST on purchases purportedly made for her cleaning business. Ms Wyntjes did not carry on any business activity and had no business income or expenses throughout the period of offending.