Fake diploma: Australian stashed over $1M in a casino

An Australian citizen hid more than $1m that he received from an education service for students in casino accounts.

36-year-old Andre Jimenez Barbosa, who moved from Brazil to Australia, was sentenced to six years in prison with eligibility for parole after serving one year.

Australian law enforcement found that Barbosa was linked to the education agency Max Study, which allegedly helped foreign students find courses and apply for visas. The man ran the business through instant messaging apps that were registered to other names, with messages that were deleted a minute after being sent. Barbosa cooperated with the investigation, explained how and where he transferred the money, and also confirmed that he knew the funds were of illegal origin.

The fraudster transferred more than $914k to accounts at The Star Casino and Treasury Casino in Australia. He also traveled to New Zealand 14 times, where he deposited $90k at SkyCity casino in Auckland, then transferred more than $720k back to his Australian accounts.

“Initially you offered services to students to pay for a course or to send money to Brazil or from Brazil. But in some cases unknown persons came to you wanting to transfer significant sums up to $100k to accounts in Brazil,” the court said.

It is known that the defendant left behind two small children with a Czech citizen he met in Australia. After his arrest she took the children to the Czech Republic, where Barbosa planned to move after his release.