Police have charged a 53-year-old woman, allegedly a fortune teller and feng shui master, with defrauding $70 million from Sydney's Vietnamese community. The woman, identified as Anya Phan, is accused of being part of one of the largest financial crime syndicates in Australian history.
Phan was arrested alongside her 25-year-old daughter during a raid at a Dover Heights address. Police seized luxury handbags, a $10,000 gold bar, casino chips, and financial documents. The younger woman is accused of assisting in a money laundering operation.
Detective Superintendent Gordon Arbinja said Phan was trusted within her community and allegedly convinced victims to take out loans based on predictions of a wealthy future. The fraud involved convincing individuals to become mules and take out loans of $1.5 million each.
Phan is alleged to have become an Australian citizen in 2001 but never worked, instead receiving disability support payments. The mortgage repayments on her Dover Heights home were $56,000 per month, and she was a VIP at a Sydney casino.
The NSW Crime Commission has frozen an additional $15 million in assets, bringing the total linked to the syndicate to $75 million. Phan faces 39 charges, including directing a criminal group and dishonestly obtaining financial advantage. She was refused bail and will appear in court on Thursday.
The 25-year-old was charged with two counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage and participating in a criminal group. She was granted conditional bail to appear in court in January. The arrests are part of Strike Force Myddleton, which has previously charged 17 people and restrained $60 million in assets.
