A Sydney postal worker has been charged with allegedly stealing bank cards from mail and funnelling them to organised crime groups, allegedly fuelling more than $1.4 million in fraud.
Police allege 56-year-old Mauro Paul Coluzzi intercepted mail in Edgecliff, Woollahra and Double Bay before supplying stolen cards to two syndicates. The cards were then used to drain hundreds of bank customers’ accounts.
Strike Force Rubi detectives, assisted by Australia Post, raided five properties in Rockdale and Roselands on Wednesday, seizing more than $14,000 in cash, Rolex watches, Louis Vuitton handbags, jewellery, electronics, a Taser and cartons of cigarettes.
Coluzzi was arrested in Rockdale and charged with 145 offences, including fraud and appropriating articles in the postal system. He was granted bail on a $400,000 surety under strict conditions and has been stood down from his job.
Two others, Ashish Tamrakar, 35, and Ibrahim Abbas, 27, were also arrested and face a combined 146 fraud-related charges. Both were refused bail.
Detective Con Galea from the Financial Crimes Squad said the trio “used the money for their own gains”, adding the seized items showed the scale of the operation.
Police expect the alleged fraud amount to rise as investigations continue, with further arrests anticipated.
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