The judge said the companies paid a “minimal amount” of the taxes they would have paid under Willmott’s administration. Keystone, the first Tier 2 company, “only paid $110,000 in taxes,” but was left with a $6 million tax liability, including interest, when it liquidated, he said.
Judge Anthony Payne sentenced Patrick Wilmot in Sydney on Friday.Credit: Nine
Payne said Wilmott was involved in the plots for about two years, until May 2016. He was not satisfied that Wilmot’s actions in early 2017 “formed part of the crime”.
The Australian Federal Police began investigating in September 2016 and secretly recorded the conversation. In February 2017, Wilmot asked his co-conspirator, “Are any of us going to jail?”
Menon replied, “No.” Adam Cranston said, “If we banded together we wouldn’t, and then we wouldn’t.”
The judge found Wilmot had shown no remorse or remorse.
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He could not conclude that he had good prospects for recovery and was “disturbed” that “even now Mr Wilmot would not admit that any of his accomplices had done anything wrong”.
Payne said there was nothing in Wilmot’s letter to the court that he admitted to having committed an offense and that he “wrote as if he was a victim of the actions of others, including the ATO [Australian Taxation Office]”.
Sentencing Lauren Cranston Monday could be jailed for up to eight yearsthe judge described Adam Cranston and Onley as the principals and “architects of the scheme,” while Menon was described as a “significant participant in the conspiracy.”
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The trio await sentencing on the same two charges as Willmott, which carry sentences of up to 10 and 25 years in prison and/or fines of $108,000 and $270,000.
it was revealed in court on thursday The Attorney General has decided to stop funding the lawyers of Adam Cranston, who has been receiving legal aid since 2021 after having his assets seized and his finances frozen in 2017.
A spokesman for the Attorney-General’s Department said Cranston had received “substantial taxpayer-funded Commonwealth legal financial assistance” prior to his conviction and referred questions to Legal Aid NSW, which has was contacted for comment. The case returned to court on Tuesday.
Willmott will first be eligible for parole in 2029.
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