Convicted fraudster Apostolos Lapatis has had his prison term increased after a successful appeal by the Crown, which argued his original sentence was too lenient for his role in a long-running scam that defrauded Melbourne motel owners of nearly $3 million.
Lapatis, 54, and his accomplice David Stakic, 72, were found guilty of conning Robin and Roslyn Nagorcka—former owners of the Fawkner Airport Motor Inn—into funding a fictitious High Court case between 2013 and 2018.
The Nagorckas, convinced by the elaborate ruse, even enlisted family and friends to contribute over $1 million. One relative received a call from a man falsely claiming to be “Frank Frys QC,” a judge at Werribee Court, urging further payments.
Originally sentenced in 2023 to four years and nine months with a non-parole period of three years, Lapatis will now serve six years and nine months, with a minimum of four years and six months.
Stakic’s sentence was also increased to three years and six months, with a non-parole period of two years and four months.
The Court of Appeal noted Lapatis was the “prime mover” in the scheme, describing his conduct as a “substantial escalation” of previous offences. He had a history of dishonesty dating back to 2001, with 63 prior convictions for deception.
In addition to the Nagorckas’, Lapatis defrauded others, including friend Daniel Ward, who gave him $21,725 for a fake property dispute in Greece, and another $146,050 from Ward’s friend. He also tricked his taxi driver out of $16,930.
“There was no evidence concerning the precise amount that Lapatis derived from the scheme to defraud Mr and Mrs Nagorcka, but — by any estimation — the identified advantage obtained which stood at just shy of $3 million was substantial indeed,” the Court of Appeal judges said.
Source: Herald Sun.
