News and Media Releases | Page 3 | Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions

27 March 2017

ALERT: Closure of CDPP Townsville Office due to cyclone

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions Townsville office will be closed today (27 March 2017) given the impending crossing of Tropical Cyclone Debbie in North Queensland tomorrow morning.

20 March 2017

17 years’ imprisonment for gun smuggler

On 17 March 2017, Khoder El Ali was sentenced by the District Court of NSW in Sydney to just over 17 years’ imprisonment for state and federal firearms offences.

9 December 2016

20 years imprisonment for terror duo

Today, two men, Omar Al-Kutobi and Mohammad Kiad were sentenced in the Supreme Court of New South Wales by the Honourable Justice Peter Garling, for conspiring with each other to carry out acts in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act. Al-Kutobi and Kiad were each sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

22 November 2016

Tax fraudster sentenced

A 41 year old man, Kritsakul Thavapitak was sentenced in the New South Wales District Court to two years imprisonment following his part in a refund fraud syndicate that used identity crime to impersonate tax payers and lodge fraudulent refund claims. The matter was investigated by the Australian Tax Office (ATO) culminating in money laundering charges.

5 September 2016

Sevdet Besim sentenced for Anzac Day terror plot

Sevdet Besim has today been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for doing acts in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act. A non-parole period of 7 years and 6 months was fixed. It was alleged that Mr Besim planned to kill a police officer during Anzac Day commemorations in 2015 and then use the officer’s weapon to commit further acts of violence.

1 September 2016

Hamdi Alqudsi sentenced for assisting Australians to fight in Syria

Mr Hamdi Alqudsi was today sentenced to eight years imprisonment with a non-parole period of six years for assisting seven men in their efforts to travel to Syria to in order to join the armed conflict taking place there.

19 August 2016

Man in possession of child sex doll sentenced to imprisonment. Man who disseminated the child sex doll serves sentence by way of an intensive corrections order

A 35 year old year old Sydney man, who pleaded guilty to offences relating to possessing and accessing child exploitation material, including a child sex doll, was sentenced in the Sydney District Court to a total effective sentence of 2 years and 3 months imprisonment with a non parole period of 1 year and 3 months.

24 June 2016

Insider trader sentenced to full time imprisonment

Former banker, 30-year-old Oliver Curtis was today sentenced to two years imprisonment after being found guilty by a Supreme Court jury earlier this month of conspiring to commit insider trading with his former best friend, John Hartman.

14 June 2016

Queen’s birthday honour awarded to senior CDPP prosecutor

Deputy Director, Mr Scott Bruckard was yesterday awarded a Public Service Medal in recognition of his distinguished service to the law enforcement and justice community through spear heading counter-terrorism prosecutions.

14 June 2016

Tax cheats brought to justice

Two men have been convicted of serious tax offences following successful investigations under the Serious Financial Crime Taskforce (SFCT).

5 May 2016

Appointment of Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions

Attorney-General for Australia, Senator the Hon George Brandis QC, has announced Ms Sarah McNaughton SC as the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

Ms McNaughton has 27 years’ experience as a legal practitioner. She has been a respected member of the NSW Bar since 1996 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2011.

20 April 2016

Foreign nationals behind a plot to import and traffic cocaine receive hefty gaol sentences

Members of an international drug syndicate were yesterday sentenced in the Brisbane Supreme Court to lengthy prison sentences for conspiring with each other to import and traffic a commercial quantity of a bordered controlled drug—cocaine.

18 April 2016

Media Statement: Ms Amber Heard

Today, 18 April 2016, Ms Amber Heard appeared in the Southport Magistrates’ Court. The matter was before Judge Bernadette Callaghan.
Ms Heard plead guilty to the 1 charge of knowingly producing a false or misleading document, namely an incoming passenger card, contrary to section 137.2(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).

8 April 2016

WA man gaoled for drug possession in detention centre

Iranian national, 39-year-old Mahmood Rajabizadeh was today sentenced to a total effective sentence of 9 years and 6 months imprisonment with a non-parole period of 7 years for possessing a marketable quantity of illicit drugs—heroin and methamphetamine. Rajabizadeh was found guilty to three drug-related offences after a five-day trial between 5 – 9 October 2015.

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17 March 2016

Head administrator of child exploitation sites on dark web gaoled for over 15 years

A 23-year-old Melbourne man, Matthew David Graham, who controlled multiple child exploitation websites on the ‘dark web’, was today sentenced to 15 years and 6 months imprisonment with a non-parole period of 10 years.

4 March 2016

Perth man receives two years gaol for hacking websites

Perth man, 43-year-old Adam John Bennett was today sentenced to a two year term of imprisonment to be released forthwith on a recognizance release order to be of good behaviour for 2 years and also a 2 year intensive supervision order with a condition that he complete 200 hours of community service for his role in aiding a juvenile to hack various websites on 5 November 2012 and also in relatio

25 February 2016

Robert Bromwich SC appointed to the Federal Court

Today, the Attorney-General, the Hon George Brandis QC announced Robert Bromwich SC has been appointed as a Judge to the Federal Court of Australia.

Read the full media release.

9 February 2016

Media Statement: Matter of the death of Andrew John Witton

The matter of the death of Mr Andrew John Witton was referred to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) in June 2010.

16 December 2015

Former Gunns Ltd chairman ordered to pay $500,000 pecuniary penalty for insider trading

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

Mr John Gay, former director and chairman of Gunns Limited, has been ordered to pay a $500,000 pecuniary penalty under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) relating to his conviction for insider trading.

10 November 2015

Canberra man gaoled for online child exploitation offences

A 30-year-old Canberra man, Joshua Ferguson was yesterday sentenced to 22 months imprisonment, to serve 5 months in custody, for child exploitation offences. Ferguson was sentenced in relation to offences for accessing, transmitting and possessing child pornography material.

10 November 2015

Canberra man gaoled for online child exploitation offences

30 October 2015

Accountant sentenced for role in hiding client funds offshore to evade tax

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE
A Sydney accountant has been convicted and sentenced today for his role in advising a client on how to hide funds offshore with entities in Hong Kong and Switzerland, resulting in the avoidance of $4.5 million in tax.

30 October 2015

Accountant sentenced for role in hiding client funds offshore to evade tax

A Sydney accountant has been convicted and sentenced today for his role in advising a client on how to hide funds offshore with entities in Hong Kong and Switzerland, resulting in the avoidance of $4.5 million in tax.

12 October 2015

Appointment of new Commonwealth Solicitor for Public Prosecutions

Mark Pedley has been appointed as the new Commonwealth Solicitor for Public Prosecutions at Australia’s federal prosecution service—the Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP).

9 September 2015

Six years gaol for 62-year-old man for online child exploitation offences

A 62-year-old Melbourne man, Kenneth Palliser was yesterday sentenced to six years imprisonment with a non-parole period of four years for five Commonwealth child exploitation offences—transmitting child pornography images and also disguising a child pornography virus and making unauthorised computer modifications.