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‘Dodgy’ Kings Cross lawyer struck off over drug money conspiracy
The “arrogant” Kings Cross lawyer jailed for dishing out legal advice to a criminal group in an effort to recover hundreds of thousands in cash seized by police was struck from the roll of practitioners.
Naomi Neilson
Michael Anthony Croke was removed from the roll four years after he was sentenced for his part in a criminal group intent on recovering the $702,000 in drug money seized by police at the Hilton Hotel in August 2011.
When handing down the order on Thursday (8 August), NSW Supreme Court’s Chief Justice Andrew Bell said the “dishonourable and disgraceful conduct” by Croke between 2011 and November 2014 “not only calls for, but demands, public denunciation”.
“Such conduct, although fortunately rare, does disproportionate harm to the reputation of the many thousands of decent and honest lawyers who practise in this state, and undermines confidence in the entirety of the legal profession,” Chief Justice Bell said.
According to details revealed during the 2020 trial, money launderer Robert Cipriani fled Sydney when he blew $2.5 million in cash at the Star Casino. He handed the remaining $702,000 to his personal trainer, Sean Carolan, who was staying at the Hilton.
Cipriani left a tip of a non-existent gun in Carolan’s room, and police arrived to find the cash in an overnight bag.
Organised crime figure Craig Haeusler arranged for drug kingpin Owen Hanson to meet Croke, who spent the next few years inventing stories, drafting dodgy evidence to support the scheme, and filing process in the Supreme Court all to recover the cash.
The money was meant to be paid into Croke’s trust account with a plan to ultimately distribute it among the criminal group.
Haeusler would eventually bring music promoter Andrew McManus into the elaborate scheme, who then gave a “very enthusiastic” account to police after having reportedly ingested cocaine.
In phone taps, police unveiled the full story. One call caught Carolan saying Croke was “ridiculously dodgy”.
Following a failed appeal attempt, Justice Desmond Fagan said Croke “abused the respect and trust” placed in legal practitioners, and added the original trial judge was right to characterise his conduct of sabotaging public office holders “as arrogant”.
Chief Justice Bell said it was Croke who told the group there needed to be a better story than “the money was from illegal gambling” and assisted in the creation of a new story and witness coaching.
The Chief Justice also took issue with Croke’s explanation that he was only the “service provider” who took directions from the group.
“That submission bespeaks a fundamental and deeply flawed misconception about the role of the solicitor or a barrister. A lawyer’s first and foremost duty is to the court and the administration of justice,” Chief Justice Bell said in his written reasons.
Justices Mark Leeming and Kristina Stern agreed with Chief Justice Bell.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
