Skip to main content

Australian Lawyer Sentenced in Fraud Case

Recently updated on January 22nd, 2019

An Aussie lawyer who stole millions from a high-profile client to gamble has been sentenced to six years in jail. The lawyer, Brody Clarke, had placed a huge bet on a New Zealand rugby match with pinched funds in 2017. According to reports, the litigator had impersonated Bruce Gordon’s son and stolen AU$9.853 million from the media magnate. Clarke later confessed in the court that he’d had the money transferred into his personal account.

In the judicial proceedings, evidence of his crimes showed that Clarke had been stealing from Mr Gordon from December in 2015. Clarke’s scheme was discovered in September of 2017 when the CFO of Gordon’s company noticed an irregularity in the accounts. During an investigation, the scheme was discovered and reported. As a result, Clarke confessed in the courthouse in the presence of his barrister, George Thomas.

Aussie Lawyer Sentenced to Jail in Fraud Case – NZ Gambling News

Abuse of Trust by Aussie Lawyer

During the hearing on Wednesday, the Aussie lawyer couldn’t explain why he committed the fraud. Still, he admitted to using a colleague’s phone to pose as Gordon’s son, Andrew and allow the transfer to his personal account. When questioned by the Deutshe Bank, Clarke claimed that it was the firm’s trust account.

To make matters worse, the lawyer had also spent nearly AU$100 million on bets with Sportsbet and TAB during the same period. In fact, he had placed high stakes bets of over AU$1 million of various sports matches. Clarke had also been betting AU$3 million daily on football games and was suffering from an obvious addiction.

He admitted to betting randomly, without any knowledge of the sports or teams he chose. More so, the Aussie lawyer was reportedly suffering from an untreated mental illness. While this does not excuse his crimes, he will be treated while in prison. As part of his sentence, Clarke will have to serve three years before he can apply for parole.



Related Posts

Is Blackjack and 21 The Same Game?

Types of Blackjack and 21 Games

Recently updated on August 11th, 2021Yes, Blackjack and 21 are the same game, but you might find some online casino games with different rules. For example, two online blackjack games, Spanish 21 and Pontoon 21, have similar rules, with a few twists. You might encounter Blackjack and 21 as names for the popular card game […]

Internet Gambling with Credit Cards Could Get Banned in NZ

Credit Card Gambling Deposits NZ

Recently updated on August 4th, 2019New Zealand’s government agency is on a mission to ban internet gambling with credit cards. The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs is responsible for creating and regulating the gambling industry.  One of the many reasons behind the department considering the ban of credit card internet gambling is the launch […]

NZ Gambling Act Reforms Tabled for Public Discussion

NZ Gambling Act Reforms Public Contributions

Recently updated on August 25th, 2019Gambling Act reforms are now up for discussion by the government and public after coming up for review on 31 July. Currently, the legislation is not specific enough about Internet gambling, which will be the main focus for the reforms by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). However, the suggestions […]

SkyCity Entertainment Group Financial Results Released

Skycity Entertainment Group NZ

Recently updated on August 14th, 2019New Zealand based company, SkyCity Entertainment Group, responsible for three casinos, has not managed to achieve a high turnover in the previous fiscal. This has been attributed to players from Asia and Australia. In their recent financial reports, SkyCity Entertainment Group announced that revenue has dropped by 2.5% in the […]