The second season of the AFP’s award-winning podcast Crime Interrupted continues with Episode Four: Operation Boscobel, taking listeners behind the scenes of how the AFP dismantled a $2.5 million tax fraud syndicate.
The AFP has partnered with Casefile to produce six new episodes of Crime Interrupted, showcasing counter terrorism, childcare fraud, cybercrime operations and more.
The latest episode details Operation Boscobel, a multi-agency AFP-led investigation that resulted in six convictions and the restraint of more than $11.5 million under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Cth).
Operation Boscobel began in 2014 as part of Taskforce Trident – a joint agency taskforce comprised of members from the AFP, Victoria Police, the Australian Border Force (ABF), the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and the Australian Transaction Reports & Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC).
The taskforce investigates serious organised crime activity around the ports of Victoria.
The investigation began after the AFP received a report that a major security company at the docks was allegedly paying its workers ‘off the books’ using cash.
Taskforce Trident intelligence analysts uncovered that the security company was in some instances avoiding its tax obligations by not declaring the workers’ salaries. It was revealed that employees working at the docks and other sites, such as sporting tournaments were being exploited with items, like superannuation not being paid by the company.
Taskforce Trident investigators uncovered a pattern of behaviour regarding the ‘off the book’ payments and identified instances of incorrect reporting of income tax and GST being withheld.
In October 2014, investigators executed 11 search warrants and arrested six men for their roles in the tax fraud.
AFP Detective Acting Sergeant David Leary was heavily involved in the investigation and said Operation Boscobel was a shining example of the outcomes joint taskforces can achieve.
“It wasn’t just the AFP which succeeded, it was all of the organisations who were part of Taskforce Trident, that were committed to preventing, deterring and defeating serious organised crime,” Det. A/Sgt Leary said.
You can listen to Crime Interrupted for free wherever you get your podcasts. Search for Crime Interrupted, or visit afp.gov.au/CrimeInterrupted
