Two of missing conwoman Melissa Caddick’s luxury cars have been auctioned off for $361,250 as liquidators try to recoup the $30million the fraudster swindled from investors.
Caddick’s parents and hairdresser husband Anthony Koletti were given formal notice late last year that her exotic cars, luxury properties and jewellery would be sold to repay her victims, many of whom were friends and relatives.
The fraudster vanished on November 12, 2020 from her Dover Heights home in Sydney’s east after the financial watchdog discovered she had been operating a Ponzi scheme.
She is likely dead after her foot washed up on a Bournda Beach, south of Tathra on the NSW South Coast, last February – about 400km from her home.
Her blue convertible 2016 Audi R8 coupe and black 2016 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 were auctioned off on Monday for $295,000 and $66,250 respectively, the liquidator for Ms Caddick’s assets has confirmed.
Two of missing conwoman Melissa Caddick’s luxury cars have gone under the hammer as liquidators try to recoup some of the $30million she swindled from investors. Caddick is pictured with her husband Anthony Koletti
A blue 2016 Audi R8 coupe, has sold at auction for $295,000 by Pickles. Caddick’s hairdresser husband Anthony Koletti has been pictured driving the Audi and has posted pictures of himself with the vehicle on social media (above)
Jones Partners Insolvency & Restructuring said there was significant interest in both cars and the firm were satisfied with the prices achieved by the auctioneer Pickles.
‘We will be holding a creditors meeting on March 15 to discuss the status of the liquidation generally and other potential recoveries,’ the firm’s principal Bruce Gleeson said.
He said Ms Caddick’s share portfolios and real estate holdings would likely be the next assets to be sold off by liquidators.
Mr Koletti has been pictured driving the Audi around Sydney and has posted images of himself with the striking vehicle on social media.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Mr Koletti is in any way responsible for Caddick’s fraudulent conduct or had any knowledge of it.
The Federal Court in November declared that Ms Caddick’s assets should be distributed to duped investors.
Justice Brigitte Markovic ruled on November 22 Caddick had provided unlicensed financial advice between 2012 and 2020 under her company’s Maliver banner.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has been trying to recover some of the live savings her 72 clients poured into the scam, which funded Caddick’s lavish lifestyle.
A Mercedes-Benz CLA45 wagon that belonged to Melissa Caddick has 32,883km on the clock and fetched $66,250
Investors were scammed out of about $30million before ASIC cottoned onto Caddick’s racket.
Justice Brigitte Markovic ordered Maliver should be wound down, with what is left of the company to be divvied up among those who are owed money.
The ruling also meant Mr Koletti would be booted out of his missing wife’s $6.2million home.
Justice Markovic ruled Caddick bought the property with investors’ money in 2014.
The Audi R8, which is described as an asset of Caddick’s company Maliver Pty Ltd, was sold for $295,000
The family of conwoman Melissa Caddick (pictured) were informed her exotic cars, luxury properties and expensive jewellery will be sold off, as liquidators try to recoup some the money for her victims
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Mr Koletti is in any way responsible for Caddick’s fraudulent conduct or had any knowledge of it. He is pictured with her Audi R8
The other property in Caddick’s name is an Edgecliff penthouse snapped up in 2016.
Her parents, who were also victims of the fraud, have lobbied the court to be given priority over other investors as they gave their daughter $1.1million for the purchase.
Under the deal they would get to live in the home rent-free for the rest of their lives, owning a third of the property.
Caddick handed over a $255,000 deposit in 2016, representing 10 per cent of the $2.55million home.
Liquidators say the cash came from funds stolen from investors.
As an ASIC investigation closed in on her $30million scam, Caddick left her luxury $6.2million Dover Heights home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs (pictured) for a dawn run and vanished
They argue that dirty money was also used for the settlement fee and the interest-only loan repayments.
The court heard the $1.1 million given to their daughter came from the sale of their Connells Point home the following year in 2017.
‘The Edgecliff property was purchased by Caddick before the Connells Point property was sold,’ Mr Gleeson has said.
‘Therefore, Ms Caddick’s parents did not contribute to the purchase price for the Edgecliff property.’
Caddick went missing the day after ASIC fraud investigators descended on her home office.
Caddick is likely dead after her foot (pictured) washed up on a Bournda Beach, south of Tathra in in February -about 400km from her Sydney home where she was last seen
Financial adviser Melissa Caddick is pictured with her husband Anthony Koletti in Aspen, Colorado, during a ski trip
Most of her victims were family and friends who trusted her to invest their money.
‘Instead, [the funds] were used to meet Ms Caddick’s personal expenses and purchase assets in her name,’ Justice Markovic said.
Caddick’s unsophisticated but elaborate scam used a bogus CommSec document to claim her investors were making remarkable returns.
In reality the money was never being paid into any investment vehicles, with ASIC uncovering she spent the funds buying up luxury clothes, taking lavish getaways and even forking out thousands on protein shakes.
On her American Express card alone, Caddick allegedly spent $229,277 at Dior, $187,000 at Canturi Jewellers, $48,000 at Chanel and $52,548 at Cosmopolitan shoes.
Court documents also showed Caddick splurged on holidays to Fiji, New York and Aspen.
Caddick is pictured during the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and Australian Federal Police raid on her Dover Heights home on November 11, 2020
Based on the liquidators’ report, the court found investors were owed $23,554,921.
That figure is subject to any potential ‘unjust enrichment or uncommercial transaction’ claims related to Caddick paying out returns that were fictitious or possibly inflated.
Maliver, whose sole director was Caddick, traded on another person’s Australian Financial Services Licence and neither the company nor Caddick ever held an AFSL while providing a financial service, the judge found.
Mr Gleeson said ‘significant work’ had been done in recent months ahead of selling the Dover Heights and Edgecliff properties as well as a share portfolio.
‘We are taking legal steps to expedite the sale of these assets to progress being in a position to return monies to investors,’ Mr Gleeson said.
