Dimitrios (James) Podaridis, Peter Delis, Bassilios (Bill) Floropoulos, and Harry Tsalikidis, all from Victoria, have been charged with money laundering offences for their involvement in investment scams targeting individual investors.
ASIC alleges that between January and July 2021, the four were involved in facilitating a sophisticated financial investment scam targeting Australian investors offering fraudulent bonds and other financial products (bonds scam).
ASIC alleges that the four dealt with victim funds which were the proceeds of crime and were reckless as to whether those funds were proceeds of crime.
It is not alleged that the four were directly involved in operating the investment scam.
ASIC alleges that fictitious investment comparison websites and Facebook advertisements were used to attract investors.
Investors were contacted by telephone and/or email and then provided with fake, branded prospectuses and other documentation.
The falsified documentation was of a high quality, mimicking or copying actual prospectuses from major financial services providers.
The fictitious offerings ranged from 1-10 years with fixed returns between 4.5 per cent and 9.5 per cent per annum.
ASIC alleges that victim funds were deposited into Australian bank accounts operated or controlled by Mr Podaridis, Mr Floropoulos or Mr Delis, and then transferred to offshore bank accounts or to crypto exchanges.
ASIC further alleges that Mr Tsalikidis engaged in similar conduct and aided, abetted, counselled or procured Mr Podaridis, Mr Floropoulos and Mr Delis.
ASIC commenced its investigation into this matter after receiving complaints from consumers and corporate and institutional entities.
The matter is listed for committal mention on 30 October 2025.
The matter is being prosecuted by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions following a referral by ASIC.
Background
Mr Podaridis and Mr Floropoulos were each charged with 28 offences of dealing in proceeds of indictable crime, contrary to sections 400.4(2), 400.5(2), 400.9(1) and 400.9(1A) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
Mr Tsalikidis was charged with 12 offences of dealing in proceeds of indictable crime, contrary to sections 400.4(2), 400.5(2), 400.9(1), 400.9(1A) and 11.2(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
Mr Delis was charged with 8 offences of dealing in proceeds of indictable crime, contrary to sections 400.4(2), 400.5(2), 400.9(1) and 400.9(1A) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
Information for Investors
ASIC regularly issues consumer warnings and conducts targeted surveillance to combat scams.
The Moneysmart investor alert list highlights suspicious domestic and international investment opportunities. You can also use IOSCO's alert portal for warnings about international companies.
Moneysmart provides detailed information on financial scams and how they work, including impostor bond scams, superannuation scams and crypto asset scams.
In May 2024, ASIC issued a scam alert warning investors that scammers were changing the way they impersonate financial services businesses in a sophisticated bond and term deposit scam.
