Tax fraudster jailed for exploiting vulnerable recruits

A fraudster who recruited vulnerable people as patsies in one of Australia's biggest tax theft conspiracies still shows no remorse for what he did.

Patrick Willmott, a co-conspirator in a scheme that defrauded the Australian taxpayer of over $105 million, will spend at least six years behind bars after he was sentenced by Justice Anthony Payne on Friday.

The 36-year-old was found guilty in March, alongside four others including Adam Cranston, a childhood friend and the son of a former deputy tax commissioner, after a marathon trial that began in April 2022.

The jury was satisfied Willmott conspired to cause a loss to the Commonwealth and deal with the proceeds of crime worth more than $1 million.

Cranston would use his father Michael, who was cleared of wrongdoing, to find out whether the tax office knew about their scheme.

Legitimate clients, attracted by its lack of service fees, sent money to their company Plutus Payroll for wages, taxes and super.

Instead, the money moved through second-tier companies directed by "unsophisticated and vulnerable people" who did not understand them, Justice Payne said.

From 2014 to 2017, the conspirators squirrelled away millions of dollars destined for the Australian Taxation Office, instead using the fraudulently obtained money to fund lavish lifestyles, replete with fast cars, planes and luxury real estate.

Willmott acted as chief financial officer for the shell companies and showed "no remorse or empathy" for recruiting and instructing directors with little to no business experience, Justice Payne said. 

The judge was critical of Willmott's rehabilitation prospects as he still believes "he's a victim of conduct by others including the ATO, rather than a perpetrator of serious crime," the judge said.

One of his recruits was a woman who came to him for assistance after the death of her husband, despite him knowing it would leave her vulnerable to being pursued by the tax office for enormous debts.

While Willmott's position in the conspiracy was higher than Cranston's younger sister, Lauren, who was sentenced to five years imprisonment on Monday, he only took part in it for two years.

Over that period, the group defrauded $31 million, or about 30 per cent of total money stolen.

Willmott personally appropriated $498,000 worth in proceeds, which while significant, was well short of the millions of dollars pocketed by Adam Cranston. 

In tapped conversations, Willmott and the other conspirators discussed how they would lie to authorities if asked, indicating he was a willing participant in the cover-up, Justice Payne said.

Appearing over video link wearing a large crucifix necklace over his prison greens, Willmott hung his head as Justice Payne read out his sentence in the NSW Supreme Court.

Willmott was handed a nine-year prison sentence but will be eligible for parole in March 2029.

The three conspirators yet to be sentenced, Cranston, Dev Menon and Jason Onley, will learn their fates in June.