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Sydney Morning Herald
30-06-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Perth businessman guilty in $3 million bikie money laundering scheme
Instead, Puttick was actually taking large quantities of dirty money, which he deposited into multiple accounts at a Victoria Park Commonwealth Bank branch, before giving it back to the same people electronically in the form of a 'loan'. Puttick was first arrested in December 2020 after he was pulled over by police in Thornlie. He was then taken to a storage unit in Canning Vale where a search warrant revealed a safe containing almost $750,000 in bundles of $50 and $100 notes. A search of Puttick's phone also allegedly found encryption software with messaging capabilities that could not be intercepted. Puttick was at the time a recipient of JobSeeker and Newstart allowances from Centrelink, the court was told, and therefore did not have the legitimate financial capacity to have been in receipt of large sums of cash. Now it can be revealed that that cash was dirty money, given to him by outlaw motorcycle gang members for him to cycle through accounts and feed back to them to make it look like they were legitimate funds. Puttick was paid a cut of the proceeds. Last month, two of Puttick's clients on trial alongside him were found guilty of engaging in transactions that involved money or property that was the proceeds of an offence. Husband and wife Anita and Stefano Bova were also on trial alongside Puttick. Stefano was found not guilty of any wrongdoing, while Anita had to withdraw from the trial partway through due to medical reasons. She will face court again at a later date. Fury was the first to be sentenced in 2023 after pleading guilty to receiving money that was the proceeds of an offence. Bank records showed more than $137,000 being filtered back to him by Puttick in the form of a loan, but no repayments were ever made. The original source of the cash was never identified, but the 35-year-old member of the Coffin Cheaters was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his involvement. Lange, also a member of the Coffin Cheaters, was sentenced to 14 months behind bars in March this year after the 49-year-old father-of-three was convicted on four counts of engaging in a transaction involving money that was the proceeds of an offence. In late 2019 and early 2020, Lange gave Puttick nearly $84,000 of dirty cash for him to launder, receiving it back in four separate instalments into bank accounts linked to companies he was linked to. He was arrested in May 2022 and pleaded guilty to the charges. He'll be eligible for parole in October. Fellow bikie Warren Goedhart, 46, was sentenced last month after he pleaded guilty to nine counts of engaging in a transaction involving the proceeds of an offence. Goedhart, a married father of one, laundered more than $191,000 through Puttick, which he used to service his South Lake mortgage held in his wife's name. The court heard the dirty cash originally came from his deceased grandmother's estate that she had accumulated through illegal activity. Goedhart was sentenced to a total of 21 months' imprisonment with eligibility for parole after serving half the sentence. Giovanni Bova, 59, was sentenced alongside Goedhart. He was convicted of engaging in a transaction involving the proceeds of an offence and possession of money reasonably suspected of being stolen. Bova got Puttick to launder $200,000 he then used to buy a house, but instead will spend the next 3½ years behind bars. Former promising footballer Riley Hutchinson and Coffin Cheater Shaun Collard both chose to spend their freshly laundered money on cars. Loading The pair were sentenced together last Friday after they were found guilty by a jury of a similar raft of crimes. Hutchinson, 31, spent nearly $300,000 of money laundered by Puttick on three vehicles, including a $100,000 Mercedes Benz. He was sentenced to two years and nine months behind bars for his involvement in the scheme. Collard gave Puttick almost $150,000 in cash for him to launder. He spent the money that was filtered back to him via two separate companies he was linked to on a Toyota Prado and a Toyota LandCruiser. Collard also pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis plants to sell and was convicted of possession of money unlawfully obtained after over $60,000 in separate bundles of cash with his DNA on it was found inside the cannabis grow house. The father-of-four, who is 39, will spend the next 4½ years in prison. Puttick will be sentenced later this month.
The Age
30-06-2025
- The Age
Perth businessman guilty in $3 million bikie money laundering scheme
Instead, Puttick was actually taking large quantities of dirty money, which he deposited into multiple accounts at a Victoria Park Commonwealth Bank branch, before giving it back to the same people electronically in the form of a 'loan'. Puttick was first arrested in December 2020 after he was pulled over by police in Thornlie. He was then taken to a storage unit in Canning Vale where a search warrant revealed a safe containing almost $750,000 in bundles of $50 and $100 notes. A search of Puttick's phone also allegedly found encryption software with messaging capabilities that could not be intercepted. Puttick was at the time a recipient of JobSeeker and Newstart allowances from Centrelink, the court was told, and therefore did not have the legitimate financial capacity to have been in receipt of large sums of cash. Now it can be revealed that that cash was dirty money, given to him by outlaw motorcycle gang members for him to cycle through accounts and feed back to them to make it look like they were legitimate funds. Puttick was paid a cut of the proceeds. Last month, two of Puttick's clients on trial alongside him were found guilty of engaging in transactions that involved money or property that was the proceeds of an offence. Husband and wife Anita and Stefano Bova were also on trial alongside Puttick. Stefano was found not guilty of any wrongdoing, while Anita had to withdraw from the trial partway through due to medical reasons. She will face court again at a later date. Fury was the first to be sentenced in 2023 after pleading guilty to receiving money that was the proceeds of an offence. Bank records showed more than $137,000 being filtered back to him by Puttick in the form of a loan, but no repayments were ever made. The original source of the cash was never identified, but the 35-year-old member of the Coffin Cheaters was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his involvement. Lange, also a member of the Coffin Cheaters, was sentenced to 14 months behind bars in March this year after the 49-year-old father-of-three was convicted on four counts of engaging in a transaction involving money that was the proceeds of an offence. In late 2019 and early 2020, Lange gave Puttick nearly $84,000 of dirty cash for him to launder, receiving it back in four separate instalments into bank accounts linked to companies he was linked to. He was arrested in May 2022 and pleaded guilty to the charges. He'll be eligible for parole in October. Fellow bikie Warren Goedhart, 46, was sentenced last month after he pleaded guilty to nine counts of engaging in a transaction involving the proceeds of an offence. Goedhart, a married father of one, laundered more than $191,000 through Puttick, which he used to service his South Lake mortgage held in his wife's name. The court heard the dirty cash originally came from his deceased grandmother's estate that she had accumulated through illegal activity. Goedhart was sentenced to a total of 21 months' imprisonment with eligibility for parole after serving half the sentence. Giovanni Bova, 59, was sentenced alongside Goedhart. He was convicted of engaging in a transaction involving the proceeds of an offence and possession of money reasonably suspected of being stolen. Bova got Puttick to launder $200,000 he then used to buy a house, but instead will spend the next 3½ years behind bars. Former promising footballer Riley Hutchinson and Coffin Cheater Shaun Collard both chose to spend their freshly laundered money on cars. Loading The pair were sentenced together last Friday after they were found guilty by a jury of a similar raft of crimes. Hutchinson, 31, spent nearly $300,000 of money laundered by Puttick on three vehicles, including a $100,000 Mercedes Benz. He was sentenced to two years and nine months behind bars for his involvement in the scheme. Collard gave Puttick almost $150,000 in cash for him to launder. He spent the money that was filtered back to him via two separate companies he was linked to on a Toyota Prado and a Toyota LandCruiser. Collard also pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis plants to sell and was convicted of possession of money unlawfully obtained after over $60,000 in separate bundles of cash with his DNA on it was found inside the cannabis grow house. The father-of-four, who is 39, will spend the next 4½ years in prison. Puttick will be sentenced later this month.
The Age
14-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Perth businessman accused of laundering millions of dollars for ‘criminal' clients
He then accompanied officers to a storage unit in Canning Vale where a search warrant allegedly revealed a safe containing almost $750,000 in bundles of $50 and $100 notes. A search of Puttick's phone also allegedly found encryption software with messaging capabilities that could not be intercepted. Puttick was also at the time a recipient of JobSeeker and Newstart allowances from Centrelink, Chu told the jury, and therefore did not have the legitimate financial capacity to have been in receipt of large sums of cash. One of Puttick's clients, 31-year-old concreter Riley Hutchinson, who has pleaded not guilty to four counts of engaging in transactions that involved money or property that was the proceeds of an offence, became a member of PPL Finance in January 2020, the court was told. Between April and November 2020, $284,000 was allegedly transferred to a business he owned from PPL Finance. The money was then used to buy a Mercedes Benz, a Toyota Landcruiser and a Volkswagon Tiguan, Chu told the jury. Chu said the money, which he alleged was the proceeds of crime, had been given to Puttick to launder in cash before it was transferred back to him in the guise of a legitimate loan. He claimed Hutchinson's tax returns revealed he had an annual income of just over $50,000, which was not sufficient to purchase such expensive cars. Hutchinson denies the allegations. Husband and wife Stefano and Anita Bova are also on trial alongside Puttick and Hutchinson, having both been charged with one count of engaging in transactions that involved money or property that was the proceeds of an offence. Chu told the jury the couple had become members of Puttick's business in early 2020, and in March of that year, 42-year-old Anita Bova registered a company with a linked trust account with the help of Puttick through PPL. She then purchased a commercial property in Bayswater for $450,000, and Puttick transferred $310,000 to her settlement agent to help fund the purchase of the property, the court was told. Chu alleged this was to ensure Puttick 'created distance' between himself and the money, which the couple allegedly originally gave to him in cash. Chu told the court Puttick had been paid a $35,000 fee for his efforts. The pair deny the allegations and Stefano Bova's lawyer, Christian Porter, told the jury his client had received the money through an inheritance and fixing up vintage cars through a panel and paint business, which he was usually paid cash for. Loading Porter told the court his client 'emphatically denied' the money was the proceeds of crime. The fifth person on trial, 31-year-old Shaun Collard, also became a member of PPL in early 2020. Chu told the jury Collard was the sole director of a company called Green is Good Pty Ltd, while his brother, who is not on trial or facing any charges in relation to the money laundering, was the shareholder of a separate company. Chu alleged Collard was the sole beneficiary of a trust fund linked to both companies and that $147,000 was transferred from PPL to those two companies. He alleged Collard used that money to purchase a Toyota Landcruiser and claimed police found cash, a firearm and ammunition, as well as a hydroponic cannabis operation during a search of his Halls Head home. Collard is facing four counts of engaging in a transaction that was the proceeds of an offence, one count of possession of drugs with an intent to supply, one count of stolen or unlawfully obtained property and one count of fraudulent appropriation of property. On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty in front of the jury to cultivating a prohibited plant with the intention to supply or sell but denies all the other charges. Chu told the jury 'little to nothing' was known about how the money being laundered was created, and described the case as 'circumstantial'.
Sydney Morning Herald
14-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Perth businessman accused of laundering millions of dollars for ‘criminal' clients
He then accompanied officers to a storage unit in Canning Vale where a search warrant allegedly revealed a safe containing almost $750,000 in bundles of $50 and $100 notes. A search of Puttick's phone also allegedly found encryption software with messaging capabilities that could not be intercepted. Puttick was also at the time a recipient of JobSeeker and Newstart allowances from Centrelink, Chu told the jury, and therefore did not have the legitimate financial capacity to have been in receipt of large sums of cash. One of Puttick's clients, 31-year-old concreter Riley Hutchinson, who has pleaded not guilty to four counts of engaging in transactions that involved money or property that was the proceeds of an offence, became a member of PPL Finance in January 2020, the court was told. Between April and November 2020, $284,000 was allegedly transferred to a business he owned from PPL Finance. The money was then used to buy a Mercedes Benz, a Toyota Landcruiser and a Volkswagon Tiguan, Chu told the jury. Chu said the money, which he alleged was the proceeds of crime, had been given to Puttick to launder in cash before it was transferred back to him in the guise of a legitimate loan. He claimed Hutchinson's tax returns revealed he had an annual income of just over $50,000, which was not sufficient to purchase such expensive cars. Hutchinson denies the allegations. Husband and wife Stefano and Anita Bova are also on trial alongside Puttick and Hutchinson, having both been charged with one count of engaging in transactions that involved money or property that was the proceeds of an offence. Chu told the jury the couple had become members of Puttick's business in early 2020, and in March of that year, 42-year-old Anita Bova registered a company with a linked trust account with the help of Puttick through PPL. She then purchased a commercial property in Bayswater for $450,000, and Puttick transferred $310,000 to her settlement agent to help fund the purchase of the property, the court was told. Chu alleged this was to ensure Puttick 'created distance' between himself and the money, which the couple allegedly originally gave to him in cash. Chu told the court Puttick had been paid a $35,000 fee for his efforts. The pair deny the allegations and Stefano Bova's lawyer, Christian Porter, told the jury his client had received the money through an inheritance and fixing up vintage cars through a panel and paint business, which he was usually paid cash for. Loading Porter told the court his client 'emphatically denied' the money was the proceeds of crime. The fifth person on trial, 31-year-old Shaun Collard, also became a member of PPL in early 2020. Chu told the jury Collard was the sole director of a company called Green is Good Pty Ltd, while his brother, who is not on trial or facing any charges in relation to the money laundering, was the shareholder of a separate company. Chu alleged Collard was the sole beneficiary of a trust fund linked to both companies and that $147,000 was transferred from PPL to those two companies. He alleged Collard used that money to purchase a Toyota Landcruiser and claimed police found cash, a firearm and ammunition, as well as a hydroponic cannabis operation during a search of his Halls Head home. Collard is facing four counts of engaging in a transaction that was the proceeds of an offence, one count of possession of drugs with an intent to supply, one count of stolen or unlawfully obtained property and one count of fraudulent appropriation of property. On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty in front of the jury to cultivating a prohibited plant with the intention to supply or sell but denies all the other charges. Chu told the jury 'little to nothing' was known about how the money being laundered was created, and described the case as 'circumstantial'.
