Journalist was in the dark on $5 million Plutus extortion plot, court told
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A property developer behind a $5 million blackmail plot did not inform veteran TV journalist Stephen Barrett, who was recruited into the scheme, that the goal was to extort $5 million from the architects of the Plutus Payroll tax fraud syndicate, a court has heard.
Daniel Hausman, who worked for the Plutus syndicate’s leaders and then orchestrated an extortion plot with co-conspirator Daniel Rostankovski, appeared as the star witness in the trial of Barrett on Monday, who is facing charges for his alleged role assisting with the blackmail.
19:07 EDT, 8 April 2021
A veteran Sydney journalist s threat to expose the masterminds behind an alleged million-dollar tax fraud was done to blackmail them, a jury has head.
When Stephen Barrett listed his 39 years of reporting credentials for Channel 7, Channel 9 and ABC investigations in a meeting recorded by police, it wasn t purely for journalistic purposes, crown prosecutor Patricia Mcdonald said in her opening address.
The surveillance device installed in Clamenz Lawyers firm at the MLC building in Sydney picked up Barrett talking about a very serious story I want to investigate .
Veteran Sydney journalist Stephen Barrett s (pictured) threat to expose the masterminds behind an alleged million-dollar tax fraud was done to blackmail them, a jury has head
Reporter accused of taking cash in blackmail conspiracy Veteran television reporter Steve Barrett is accused of receiving up to $3000 cash for his alleged role in a blackmail conspiracy.
Crime by Natalie O’Brien, Senior Reporter 8th Apr 2021 7:43 PM
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Subscriber only Veteran television reporter Steve Barrett is accused of receiving up to $3000 cash for his alleged role in a blackmail conspiracy designed to reap $5 million from a group of alleged payroll fraudsters. The NSW Supreme Court was told on Thursday Mr Barrett, with two co-accused Daniel Hausman and Daniel Rostankovski, was part of a joint criminal enterprise hatched in February 2017 to demand money from the fraudsters allegedly behind a large-scale tax fraud involving the son of the then ATO deputy commissioner.
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