Former Richmond Football Club star Marlion Pickett has narrowly avoided immediate imprisonment after admitting to his role in a money laundering operation involving hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen from businesses.
A Knife's Edge Decision in Court
Perth District Court Judge Laurie Levy handed the 33-year-old a two-year sentence, suspended for 12 months, on Wednesday, 17 December 2025. Judge Levy told Pickett he was on a "knife's edge" regarding jail time and warned that reoffending would "almost inevitably" lead to imprisonment. "I don't need to tell you what jail is all about," Judge Levy remarked.
Pickett pleaded guilty to two proceeds of crime offences, which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years. The charges relate to him possessing more than $21,000 in dirty cash and assisting in laundering over $300,000 obtained from a series of commercial burglaries.
The Details of the Offending
The court heard that in late 2022, Pickett used his driver's licence to hire a Wicked campervan for two other men, Paul Freddy Pina Mardones and Kurtley Thorne, his sister's ex-partner. The prosecutor said Pickett "adopted an attitude of wilful blindness" towards their activities.
The campervan was used to travel between Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne, facilitating the conversion of stolen foreign currency into Australian dollars. The wider criminal operation, which Pickett was not directly accused of, involved more than $300,000 stolen from businesses in Beechboro, Girrawheen, Bindoon, and Beverley between 3 December 2022 and 3 January 2023.
The most significant theft was a $325,000 heist from a Girrawheen currency exchange. Pickett's barrister, Roisin Keating, argued her client had no knowledge of the nature of the burglaries and accepted the money for "past favours" he had given the two men.
Background, Rehabilitation, and Fallout
The court was told the offending occurred during a difficult period for Pickett, marked by mental health struggles, unstable housing for his family after the 2022 AFL season, and a relapse into methamphetamine use. His criminal record was described as "10 pages" long, with serious offences dating back to his first imprisonment at age 18.
However, Judge Levy acknowledged Pickett had "demonstrated a commitment" to rehabilitation. Character references were provided by several notable figures, including former Richmond CEO Brendon Gale and 2022 WA Australian of the Year Paul Litherland, a former police officer and cybersecurity expert. Litherland, who met Pickett as a teenager while coaching at South Fremantle Football Club, accompanied him from court.
Pickett rose to national fame when he debuted for Richmond in the 2019 AFL grand final, becoming the first player since 1926 to win a premiership in his first game. After six seasons with Richmond, he stepped away from the AFL in 2024 but has since signed with the South West Football League's Eaton club for the 2026 season.
The court heard Pickett now plans to relocate his family to Melbourne and engage in mentoring roles, showing positive signs of turning his life around after this serious brush with the law.
