Fraud Friday — Former Australian Banker Charged for $590,000 Fraud Scheme

January 8, 2020

Caity Roach
Editor

Fraud Friday — Former Australian Banker Charged for $590,000 Fraud Scheme

Former Australian Banker and wife of Sydney organized crime gangster, Sara Daizli, was arrested on December 16, 2020, for allegedly using her staff access at St. George bank to defraud her employer of more than $590,000 in order to fund her glamorous lifestyle.

Prosecutors say Daizli’s scheme dates back to February 2016, when she began creating fictitious driver’s licenses in order to open online bank accounts. She then allegedly used her employee logins to make 82 transfers into those accounts between February 2016 and October 2017. 

Daizli is also being charged for coercing other bank employees into withdrawing funds from three fake personal loan accounts and transferring bank customer funds. In one case, Daizli and her co-workers allegedly drained over $350,000 in life savings and retirement funds from elderly bank customer’s accounts. 

“Criminal offenses of this nature are not only financially debilitating but also emotionally distressing for victims,” says financial crimes squad commander, Linda Howlett. “The methods used to obtain the funds involved a high degree of planning. They were complex, of a large monetary value and designed in a way to conceal and abuse the trust of her employer and customers.”

When the fraud was discovered, police seized computers and post-it notes containing stolen customer information and two $4,000 plane tickets for international flights. Fearing Daizli may attempt to flee, the court judge ruled in an initial hearing that she be held in custody without bail until her trial in February.

Daizli has formally been charged with eight counts of dealing with identity documents to commit an indictable offense, four counts of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception, two counts of possessing identity documents to commit an indictable offense, and dealing with the proceeds of crime. Two of Daizli’s co-workers have also been arrested. 

Sources: 
The Australian
Daily Mail

Other Pending Fraud Cases Coleman is Following:
U.S. v. Kerri Agee, Kelli Isley, Nicole Smith, Chad Griffin, and Matthew Smith (Trial Date: February 1, 2021)
FDIC v. Washington Federal Bank for Savings et al (Trial Date: Not Set)