The West Australian sister of an offshore Outlaw Motorcycle Gang member has been sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of seven and a half months, for possessing more than $800,000 of suspected proceeds of crime.
The Seville Grove woman, now aged 36, was sentenced by the Perth District Court on Thursday (26 September, 2024), after previously pleading guilty to one count of possessing stolen or unlawfully obtained money, contrary to section 417 of the Criminal Code Amendment Act 2014 (WA).
She is the third woman to be convicted over the matter after a Cloverdale woman, now 38, was sentenced in July 2024 to two years and six months' imprisonment and a Byford woman, now 63, was sentenced in December 2021 to two years and two months' imprisonment.
Police charged the three women in 2021 after an AFP-led investigation into a syndicate that was allegedly laundering significant amounts of cash for an offshore Comanchero OMCG member.
On a Friday morning in May 2021, the Seville Grove woman collected the Byford woman and drove her to a business in Perth.
The 36-year-old waited in her car, while the Byford woman walked into the business carrying two bags filled with cash.
She handed the bags to the Cloverdale woman and was given an empty black duffle bag in return.
The AFP and Western Australia Police Force (WAPF) were monitoring the cash handover and arrested the two women inside the business. They seized the two bags, which contained a total of $801,502 cash inside vacuum sealed packages.
They also seized a bag from the Cloverdale woman which contained bank cards and pre-filled deposit slips for deposits of $20,000 in the names of other people.
While investigators were questioning the pair, the Seville Grove woman drove away.
The AFP charged the Byford woman and the Cloverdale woman on the day of the cash handover.
When police searched the Cloverdale woman's home that evening, they found a cash counter in the roof space as well as unused bank cash deposit bags that were the same as those found in her bag when she was arrested.
Both women were charged with possessing stolen or unlawfully obtained property, contrary to section 417 of the Criminal Code Amendment Act 2014 (WA).
The Byford woman pleaded guilty in June 2021 and was sentenced to two years and two months' imprisonment in December 2021.
Police charged the Cloverdale woman with a second offence of possessing stolen or unlawfully obtained property after they executed another search warrant at her home in June 2021 and found $68,155 in her bedroom. More than $60,000 was wrapped in clingfilm inside a bag, while the rest of the money was found under a table and in a drawer.
She pleaded guilty in April 2024 to the two offences and was sentenced to two years and six months' imprisonment.
The Seville Grove woman was charged on 13 December, 2021 as a result of the ongoing investigation.
Checks of bank and tax records found none of the three women had the financial means to earn or save an amount of money close to what police seized during the investigation.
AFP Inspector Chris Colley said seizing money suspected to be linked to illegal activity was a key priority for the AFP and its law enforcement partners to prevent criminals from profiting at the expense of the Australian community.
"While law-abiding Australians are paying their taxes and contributing to the community, organised crime gangs are using money gained illegally to fund their lavish lifestyles, or future criminal ventures," Insp. Colley said.
"Anyone who assists offenders to conceal the source of these funds and legitimise criminal profits enables organised crime. The AFP and its state and Commonwealth law enforcement partners are working hard to make Australia a hostile environment for serious organised crime."
WA Police Force Criminal Gangs and Regional Investigations Acting Inspector Anthony Thompson said WA Police would continue to work with the AFP and other stakeholders to continue to disrupt and dismantle OMCG members, and criminals who acted in concert with gang members.
