When they spoke with confidence about the scam they had devised, the people behind one of Australia's biggest tax frauds unwittingly set a challenge for some of the country's best forensic accountants.
, Justice Payne described the notion that Cranston ever thought Plutus was legitimate as "preposterous".To the extent that there was finger-pointing during the trial, it failed.After listening to months of evidence, the jury found all five co-conspirators guilty of conspiring to dishonestly cause a loss to the Commonwealth and conspiring to deal with the proceeds of crime.
But rather than taking out the tax owed and paying it to the ATO, the second-tier companies would skim off money and distribute it to the conspirators.But behind the facade of the second-tier companies, it was a different story. The Cranstons are the children of former ATO deputy commissioner Michael Cranston, who the court heard was not accused of any wrongdoing.
He received $498,000 during his two years of involvement and was sentenced to a maximum of nine years behind bars.Menon used his legal knowledge to help cover up the scheme — skills Justice Payne said were "crucial" to the long-term success of the conspiracy. The misappropriated millions could have been used to pay for schools and hospitals, the court was told.
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