Several individuals have been charged with criminal offences relating to the collapse of the Members Alliance and Benchmark group of companies in 2016 and 2017, which allegedly operated property investment vehicles on the Gold Coast, offering financial advice to retail investors.
In July 2016, 18 group companies were placed into liquidation, with a $26 million debt owing to the ATO.
The charges follow an ASIC-led Serious Financial Crime Taskforce (SFCT) investigation into the collapse of the groups and alleged associated phoenix activity.
As a result of the investigation’s findings, on Friday, several individuals — including directors Richard Marlborough, Colin MacVicar, David Domingo, Liam Young and lawyer John Ramsden — appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court and were charged with a total of 72 criminal charges.
Mr Marlborough has been charged with:
- 21 counts of trading while insolvent;
- 10 counts of dishonestly using his position as a director;
- one count of disposing of property after becoming (or was about to be) a bankrupt; and
- one count of fraud.
Mr MacVicar has been charged with:
- 13 counts of trading while insolvent;
- one count of dishonestly using his position as a director; and
- one count of disposing of property after becoming (or was about to be) a bankrupt.
Mr Young has been charged with:
- four counts of trading while insolvent; and
- five counts of dishonestly using his position as a director.
Mr Domingo has been charged with seven counts of trading while insolvent.
Mr Ramsden acted as a solicitor for the Members Alliance group and has been charged with aiding Mr Marlborough, Mr MacVicar and Mr Young in their alleged directors duties offences. He faces eight counts of aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the commission of an offence in contravention of the Corporations Act.
The matter has been listed for a mention hearing on 26 November 2021.
They are a bunch of thieving criminals. Problem is, people like this have no action and consequence wired in the brain and believe they have done nothing wrong.
Have they been charged with the flaws in the advice they provided because my god it was terrible? The really interesting part is where a lot of their mailing lists came from.
We cant crucify the lawyers until they are convicted and we see the facts. If they are guilty then how really stupid are they to put their livelihood’s on the line after years of study ….I guess greed gets the better of everyone and they make mistakes. Lets see what happens.
Do you realise how much money these people have hidden away in different companies. They were running a large cold calling scheme which included selling property into superannuation. The only issue I have is working out how they are “broke”
Another Ethical Lawyer! i wonder if there’s going to be a royal commission into the legal industry
I assume advisers are paying for this investigation too?
It was ASIC-led so it safe for you to no longer assume…