Sydney construction boss George Alex has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison for masterminding a $10 million tax fraud scheme targeting the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Alex, along with his co-conspirators Lindsay Kirschberg, Pasquale Loccisano, Gordon McAndrew, and former New Zealand rich-lister Mark Bryers, was found guilty of conspiracy to cause loss and conspiring to deal with the proceeds of crime.
The NSW Supreme Court described the multimillion-dollar operation as a “revolving door” scam designed to evade pay-as-you-go (PAYG) withholding taxes over two years.
Justice Desmond Fagan criticised the group’s lack of remorse, stating, “It is a fraud on all other taxpayers who lawfully pay for… services for the common good.” He identified Alex as the central figure in the operation, noting his higher level of criminal responsibility compared to his accomplices.
Alex received a sentence of nine years and three months, with a non-parole period of six years and two months. Loccisano and Bryers were sentenced to eight and a half years, with a non-parole period of six years, while Kirschberg and McAndrew received eight years, with a non-parole period of five and a half years.
The conspirators operated three labour hire companies that supplied workers to construction firms, including industry giant Multiplex. Instead of paying workers’ wages and entitlements directly, the funds were funneled through shell companies, allowing the group to accumulate PAYG tax debts. The shell companies were then shut down before the ATO could intervene.
The six-month trial, which cost taxpayers $6 million in legal aid for four of the offenders, revealed the continuous and deliberate nature of the fraud. Justice Fagan highlighted the scale of the operation and Alex’s personal enrichment as driving factors in the scheme.
Source: news.com.au
