Poker Pro Gets 12 Years for $53 Million Scam

A one-time poker pro has been jailed for 12 years after defrauding a Victorian jail after scamming the Commonwealth Bank of nearly $58 million in a fraud of “breathtaking proportions”.

William Jordanou, 60, was also slammed by the judge last week for causing delays in the court proceedings, which led to a “a complete waste of the court’s time”.

Jordanou, who has won $592,671 in live poker tournaments, ultimately plead to two charges of conspiracy to defraud the bank in February by obtaining 23 loans using false documentation.

He also scammed $18 million out of Westpac, Bank of Queensland, La Trobe Financial Services, Rhino Money and Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. 

Two accountants have also been charged, with one awaiting sentencing and the other receiving up to four years in prison.

“By this means, you fraudulently obtained nearly $58 million from the CBA, making this one of the largest frauds to come before a court in this state,” Judge Lacava said.

“The actual loss to the CBA is said to be approximately $21.8 million … the prosecution has been unable to calculate the amount of gain that you received from this offending.”

“The CBA conspiracy was a prolonged fraud of breathtaking proportions,” Judge Lacava said.

“The level of falsifications and some of the documentation supplied to the CBA was high and the action of giving it to the bank audacious.”

Jordanou cannot be paroled for a period of nine years.