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Lawyer to stand trial for alleged money laundering scheme
A prominent lawyer and an accountant are due to face a Supreme Court trial on money laundering charges.
Naomi Neilson
Since their arrests in 2020, lawyer Ben Aulich and accountant Michael Papandrea have spent the years since fighting to have their money laundering charges tossed out.
Magistrate Sean Richter was told an undercover police officer approached Aulich with a claim the officer had seized $100,000 from the importation and sale of illegal cigarettes.
The officer told both men he earned that much each month.
Police claimed Aulich then introduced the officer to Papandrea, and the men had a conversation about which businesses they could use to launder the money, including a supermarket.
When the suggestion of a car wash was made, police alleged Aulich wrote down “Breaking Bad”.
At one point, Aulich was alleged to have told the officer he “couldn’t set up stuff that I know is illegal”, so his advice was all hypothetical.
Although Aulich and Papandrea argued the case was one of entrapment, Richter said the role they played in the operation was key to creating “a situation where [the officer] could launder money”.
Aulich, who recently left the firm that bears his name, is also facing a charge of recruiting others to commit a crime.
Both men will appear in court in September.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
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