Gambling addict swindled nearly $2m from elderly man
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A gambling addict swindled more than $1.9 million from an elderly man he befriended, putting the money into online betting accounts.
Brian James Wilson befriended his 82-year-old victim through acquaintances after finding out he was selling his mortgage-free Mount Martha home for $1.6 million in August 2018.
The 55-year-old convinced the elderly man to “invest” his money after selling the house into various business ventures from October 2018 to September 2019, the County Court of Victoria was told on Wednesday.
Wilson pleaded guilty in April to nine counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception and two counts of obtaining property by deception.
He helped the then 82-year-old move out of the property and into a retirement village, even paying for a skip to get rid of rubbish, prosecutor Andrew Grant told the court at the pre-sentence hearing.
But two months after the sale of the home, Wilson started to tell the octogenarian about his business dealings, which he claimed were profitable.
He said if the elderly man would fund the businesses he would share the profits equally, the court was told.
Among the scams was a business purportedly selling chemicals to “clean milk” and another business purportedly selling cleaning products to Metricon Homes and Brimbank City Council. There is no suggestion Metricon or Brimbank were aware of any such purported business activity.
It was all lies.
The cash went into online betting accounts including Sportsbet, BetEasy, Ladbrokes and Tabcorp.
Wilson, a delivery driver, deposited more than $2.8 million into the accounts between August 2018 and November 2019, and in the same period placed bets totaling more than $18.2 million, the court was told.
He also convinced the elderly man – who “wasn’t as sharp” as he once was – to give him $18,000 for a car loan.
When the victim asked for the loan to be repaid, Wilson called him a “f---ing arsehole” and “piece of shit”. He told him to declare bankruptcy “like everyone else”, the court was told.
In a statement read out to court, the victim, now 86, said he had worked hard all his life and was distraught about what happened.
“All this money is now gone and it has left me totally devastated,” he said.
“I will never recover from this.
“I attempted to take my own life due to the desperation I feel.”
During the hearing, defence barrister Damian Sheales said he wanted a report prepared on Wilson’s gambling problems, but it would not be finished until November.
“It’s on a scale I’ve not come across before,” he said.
Judge Trevor Wraight was concerned about the delays considering when the offending happened, the victim’s age and that there were clear authorities in relation to gambling addictions.
The case will return to court in November.
Crisis support is available from Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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