Alleged ringleaders behind defrauding banks for luxury cars, homes and business loans face almost 200 charges
Police allege the two men, aged 38 and 34, were at the head of a syndicate that began by using stolen identification to apply for loans to purchase luxury "ghost cars" that did not exist.
Detectives from the NSW Police Financial Crimes Squad claim the men then went beyond cars, using the same method to secure business and home loans from banks.
The men have been charged with a combined 194 offences related to fraud, money laundering and weapons possession.
The 38-year-old Barangaroo man is accused of committed $12 million worth of fraud while police accuse the 34-year-old Seaforth man of committing $4 million worth of fraud.
Investigations began in January 2024 when police started looking into what they described as a "highly sophisticated" money laundering scheme.
In total police have now charged eight people and seized $38 million in assets from across Sydney.
Among the millions in assets seized by police on Wednesday were two Bentleys, a Ferrari 360 and luxury watches.
It came after sweeping dawn raids across Barangaroo, Seaworth, North Ryde, Macquarie Park, Sylvania Waters, Camperdown, Mortdale, Haymarket, Martin Place and the CBD.
Images provided by NSW Police show a treasure trove of watches worth hundreds of thousands of dollars among foreign currency seized on Wednesday.
Vision showed the bikie-busting Raptor Squad storming a luxury Barangaroo property before leading the 38-year-old out in a sparkly Louis Vuitton jacket.
The same video showed police towing away a red Bentley SUV from Barangaroo.
Photos depict the showroom where police seized a Ferrari, a Bentley and a slew of high-end luxury vehicles.
The pair have been denied bail and are due to appear in the Downing Centre and Manly local courts on Thursday.
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ABC News
a few seconds ago
- ABC News
Bilal Hamze murder trial begins, explores deadly gangland war with rival Alameddine family
An alleged gangland assassin bragged "that was me, this is what we do with the cars" while showing a friend footage of gangster Bilal Hamze being killed, a court has heard. A Supreme Court murder trial was told on Monday how the Alameddine crime family were captured on police surveillance tapes discussing how to take out Bilal Hamze and his family in 2021. It is the first time police have openly detailed how the deadly dispute on Sydney's streets that terrorised the city for 18 months unfolded. In one recording the court heard, an underworld boss was heard saying of Bilal Hamze's younger brother Ibrahem: Bilal Hamze, 34, was shot dead leaving Kid Kyoto restaurant on Bridge Street with a woman on June 17, 2021. Samuel John Rokomaqisa, 35, is on trial charged with murder and speeding off in a black Audi in the heart of the Sydney CBD four years ago. In one recording allegedly of Mr Rokomaqisa, he is accused of saying his cousin "did the job" and he "was the driver". "Bro, didn't I prove something to everyone with that job in the city?" Mr Rokomaqisa is accused of saying in one recorded phone call. In her opening address, crown prosecutor Kate Ratcliffe said Bilal Hamze dined with a sex worker the night he died. He had moved to the CBD with his wife and child at the time over fears for his life, but was talking with the woman "for several months" before they dined. When they left, a gunman lying in wait shot Bilal Hamze 10 times and sped away from the scene. The getaway car was found burnt out a short time later at Northwood. Mr Rokomaqisa, the court heard, was associated with the Alameddine family and allegedly referred to them as "our boys" on secretly-taped police recordings. Ms Ratcliffe said in one surveillance tape Mr Rokomaqisa was allegedly heard calling Jamal Alameddine "uncle". "In order to gain the trust of the Alameddine organised crime network and to be engaged by them he committed criminal acts to demonstrate his loyalty," she said. "And in turn he received money which the Crown will argue cannot be explained by lawful employment." The jury heard about a series of phone calls tapped by police while Mr Rokomaqisa was in prison. Ms Ratcliffe told the court that he called a friend and referred to himself as "the king now" of the Alameddine jail pod, and that he had been asked if he "knocked" Bilal Hamze. Soon after, Ms Ratcliffe said, a surveillance recording revealed he spoke to another inmate about a news package which referred to Bilal Hamze's murder, where he was allegedly heard saying he was linked to "the shooting and s**t". He later denied this to officers when charged over the murder. Mr Rokomaqisa is also facing trial for conspiring to kill Ibrahem Hamze in North Sydney. The jury was told that plot was foiled as the car staking out Ibrahem Hamze outside his apartment parked in a no parking zone. The car was approached by a police highway patrol vehicle, the jury heard, and the would-be killers fled. When the car got a flat tyre, the court heard Mr Rokomaqisa allegedly assaulted a 76-year-old man, stole his car and escaped from police. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and the court heard when spoken to by police he denied having anything to do with Bilal Hamze's death. Ms Ratcliffe said the case was built on the similarities and circumstance of the murder of Bilal Hamze, and the attempt to kill his brother Ibrahem. "Such they cannot be explained by coincidence, rather the same persons were involved on each occasion," Ms Ratcliffe told the jury. The trial is expected to draw in a who's who of Sydney's underworld, both dead and alive. Bilal Hamze's death was one of seven killings during the height of gangland hostilities between the warring Hamzy and Alameddine crime families. The clans operate as organised crime networks in Western Sydney and were locked in a bloody feud over control of the city's drug trade at the time. Bilal Hamze was a major player in the Hamzy network and his death saw a significant escalation in the shootings that had been plaguing Sydney. He was the cousin of notorious crime boss and Brothers 4 Life founder Bassam Hamzy, who remains in Goulburn's Supermax prison over a raft of offences. The trial is expected to run for eight weeks and will continue before Justice Robert Hulme on Tuesday.
News.com.au
27 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Gangster Bilal Hamze shared last meal with sex worker before alleged murder
Slain Sydney gangster Bilal Hamze spent his last night enjoying dinner with a sex worker at a high-end CBD restaurant before he was gunned down by assassins. Hamze, 34, was shot three times when a gunman unleashed 10 bullets from a passing sports car on Bridge St about 10.20pm on June 17, 2021. A jury has heard his final meal was shared with a female sex worker, who cannot be identified, after the duo arranged to meet up at Kid Kyoto in nearby Bridge Lane. Samuel John Rokomaqisa is on trial in the NSW Supreme Court over the murder and an alleged separate plot to kill Bilal's younger brother Ibrahem Hamze. He is also charged over an alleged carjacking that took place during a car chase through North Sydney after police interrupted surveillance of Ibrahem's apartment block on August 14, 2021. The 35-year-old, who the jury has heard is an alleged associate of the Hamzes' rival clan the Alameddines, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Crown prosecutor Katrina Ratcliffe began outlining the evidence the jury could expect to hear in the estimated eight-week trial on Monday, telling them Bilal Hamze was killed during a feud between the two organised crime networks (OCN). She said the 'retaliatory' shooting followed an attack on Alameddine OCN member Asaad Alahmad on June 7, 2021, which he survived. In the early hours of June 8, three alleged Alameddine figures Masood Zakaria, Murat Gulasi and John Ray Bayssari were captured meeting at Mr Zakaria's Greystanes home. Ms Ratcliffe said they spoke about the shooting of Mr Alahmad, how it affected the OCN, who they believed was responsible and that there would be 'retaliation against Ghassan Amoun and Ibrahem Hamze'. The court heard Amoun, also known as Ghassan Hamzy, was Bilal and Ibrahem's first cousin and a senior member of the Hamzy OCN. He has since died, the jury heard. Gulasi was allegedly heard on a surveillance device saying 'they'll get shot. Tell Raf (that) Ibby needs to go'. Ms Ratcliffe told the jury that 'Ibby' allegedly referred to Ibrahem Hamze. Meanwhile, the court heard, Bilal Hamze had moved into an apartment in Haymarket with his wife in April 2021 'in order to avoid attempts on his life'. There had previously been several public place shootings and deaths linked to the ongoing Hamzy-Alameddine feud, Ms Ratcliffe said. Bilal and the sex worker met for dinner on June 17. Outside, witnesses reported seeing a black Audi 'circling' the restaurant and surrounding streets as the duo ate. The court heard Mr Rokomaqisa 'was associated with the Alameddine network' and allegedly made admissions to this on intercepted phone calls and recording devices. In one conversation he called a man with the last name Alameddine 'uncle', and remarked 18 of 'our boys' had been arrested after news reports of a police sting targeting the OCN. The jury heard one person, Witness A, was expected to give evidence that Mr Rokomaqisa showed him a news story of Bilal Hamze's murder and said he 'did the job' as the driver. He also stands accused of being in a Mercedes that was allegedly conducting surveillance of Ibrahem Hamze's unit on August 14, 2021, alongside another unknown man. The jury heard the car was parked in a no stopping zone, attracting the interest of passing police and a pursuit ensued. 'The car sustained a flat tyre, the two males then performed a carjacking,' Ms Ratcliffe said. DNA profiles matching Mr Rokomaqisa's were allegedly found in the abandoned Mercedes, the Toyota Camry that was allegedly carjacked at gunpoint and a second Mercedes used as another getaway car. The second Mercedes was later seized and data downloaded from its computer allegedly showed it had been stored at a home linked to Mr Rokomaqisa for several days in late August 2021. He has denied in police interviews any involvement in the incidents and rejected having links to the Alameddines, the jury was told. Mr Rokomaqisa's barrister George Thomas is yet to give his opening remarks to the jury. The trial before Acting Justice Robert Hulme continues.
ABC News
31 minutes ago
- ABC News
Erin Patterson attends Koonwarra tip.
Erin Patterson attends Koonwarra Transfer Station where she disposed of a dehydrater used in the murder of three people.
