A Congolese immigrant scammer has been jailed for a maximum of four years in Adelaide for swindling a former federal politician out of $1.2 million.
Mugabe Rapheal Mubake, 25, who claims to be an entrepreneur, was sentenced in the South Australia District Court last Friday after being found guilty of multiple fraud and money laundering charges by Judge Joanne Tracey in June.
Judge Tracey said Mubake, who is appealing the verdict, was not the mastermind of the scam but played a crucial role, and sentenced him to four years with a non-parole period of two years and three months, The Advertiser reported.
“Hopefully that entrepreneurial talent will be able to be put to better use in the future,” she said.
Mukabe’s trial heard that he dishonestly received more than $1.2 million from former Tasmanian Liberal Senator Stephen Parry in late 2021.
Mr Parry mistakenly transferred Mubake the money in a series of transactions believing the funds were going to his conveyancer, Graham Woodhouse Conveyancing, to purchase a property in Hobart after receiving a scam email, prosecutor Tom Macura told the court.
“It transpires that an unknown person gained access to Mr Woodhouse’s computer system and email account and then sent the fraudulent email on 29 October 2021,” Mr Macura said.
“The prosecution further allege that upon receiving those funds from Mr Parry, who had absolutely no connection to the accused, the accused then disposed of $608,000 from his primary bank account by making 14 separate transfers to other financial accounts.”
Mubake then transferred $300,000 to other bank accounts, $170,000 to a cryptocurrency trading platform and sums of money to other people including family members who are not accused of any wrongdoing.
The bank was able to freeze most of the money, but about $206,000 was unable to be recovered.
The court heard that Mubake was born in the Congo and this year started a business reselling imported cleaning products online.
Header image: Mugabe Rapheal Mubake (Facebook).
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