A Victorian woman who scammed her own cousin of close to $400,000 (US$263,164) for a fake house and land package has been jailed for more than five years.
Angela Liberatore, 50, convinced her cousin Jessica Lacivita in March 2014 that she was selling residential investment properties on behalf of developers and receiving commissions.
She recommended Ms. Lacivita and her husband Peter Koukas purchase a development in Queensland and purportedly loaned them $188,000 (US$123,687) required to buy the land.
The couple paid her $1,000 and obtained finance from NAB to begin repaying the remainder of the debt, issuing Liberatore a $127,500 cheque from the bank.
Liberatore told them the development should be finished in December 2016 and showed them fake emails as proof.
They paid her a further $35,000 between 2015 and 2016.
In May 2016, Liberatore told the couple the builder needed another $200,000 for the house to be built on their land.
She helped them apply for a further loan through NAB and issued a $200,00 cheque to her business Luxury Home Designs in June 2016
By mid-2017, Ms. Lacivita started contacting her cousin for updates on the investment.
Liberatore told her it had been delayed due to cyclones and then claimed the developer had gone into liquidation, saying nothing could be done and the $372,400 they invested was missing.
She told the couple not to contact her again and they reported the incident to police in October 2017.
The couple have never recovered the money they gave Liberatore.
The 50-year-old continues to deny the offending, even after a County Court jury in July 2023 found her guilty of 33 counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception and two charges of obtaining property by deception.
In sentencing Liberatore on March 7, Judge Douglas Trapnell described her crimes as “callous” and noted the “markedly deleterious” effect it had on Ms. Lacivita and Mr. Koukas.
The judge reflected on the couple’s victim impact statements, which described how they were feeling hopeless, hurt and betrayed.
Judge Trapnell also noted Liberatore’s mental health had declined since her offending was publicised but he did not accept it would likely deteriorate further in prison.
He also made note of her criminal history, which included a large number of convictions for dishonesty-related offences.
“Your prior criminal history demonstrates ... a continuing attitude of disobedience of the law,” Judge Trapnell said.
“Accordingly, it is necessary in your case for me to give significant weight to specific deterrence and protection of the community.”
Liberatore was sentenced to five years and three months in jail but she will be eligible for parole after three years and eight months.
She has already served 204 days in custody.
