Fraudster originally accused of pretending to work for spies admits he stole $700,000

Jeremiah Thomas James Deakin leaves court after pleading guilty on Wednesday. Photo: Albert McKnight.

A fraudster, originally accused of pretending to be a member of Australia’s spy organisation, has pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his victim.

In the ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday (10 November), Jeremiah Thomas James Deakin admitted that between January 2016 and September 2018 he stole $718,904 that belonged to the man.

He also pleaded guilty to a fresh indictment, a single charge of dishonestly obtaining the money by deception.

While many of the facts of the case have been agreed upon, James Maher from Kamy Saeedi Law said there was a dispute over the relationship between his client and the victim which may result in the matter going to a disputed facts hearing.

The Crown may apply for a non-publication order on the victim’s name.

The case will appear in court again to decide whether or not a dispute facts hearing is needed before it proceeds to sentencing.

Originally, in July 2020, the then-30-year-old appeared in court charged with 156 counts of obtaining property by deception and 78 counts of false representation of a Commonwealth official, charges that were ultimately discontinued.

Police alleged he obtained the money through various deceptive means, including falsely representing himself as an Australian Security Intelligence Organisation employee.

Police conducted multiple searches throughout their investigation, including one at Deakin’s Red Hill home in February 2020, and seized a Mitsubishi Triton as well as three horses.