A Victorian couple who enslaved a woman for eight years have had the proceeds of the sale of their home forfeited and ordered to pay $140,000 in combined penalties to the Commonwealth.
The AFP-led Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) restrained the Mount Waverley house in 2016 under the Proceeds of Crime Act (Cth) after the couple was charged with slavery offences.
The couple, a man, now 61, and a woman, now 58, were each found guilty in a jury trial in 2021 and sentenced to imprisonment for enslaving a woman from India who had entered Australia on a tourist visit.
The house was sold for $1.4 million in 2016. After paying the mortgage and sale expenses, the couple's equity in the property of about $475,000 was held by the Official Trustee and restrained prior to its forfeiture in 2022.
About $485,000 was granted to the victim as an ex-gratia payment - a type of payment that may be made by a government - at the discretion of the Commonwealth Attorney-General in 2023.
The CACT also made application for pecuniary penalty orders against both offenders for the benefits they derived by enslaving the woman.
On 9 October, 2025, the woman agreed to pay a pecuniary penalty of $100,000 and the man agreed to pay a pecuniary penalty of $40,000, in addition to the forfeited equity and accrued interest.
The couple was sentenced in 2021 after being found guilty of the following offences:
- One count of intentionally possessing a slave contrary to section 270.3(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth) 1995; and
- One count of intentionally exercising over a slave powers attaching to the right of ownership contrary to section 270.3(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth) 1995.
The woman was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment with parole eligibility in four years and the man was sentenced to six years' imprisonment with parole eligibility in three years.
National Manager Criminal Assets Confiscation, Fraud and Corruption, Stefan Jerga said the case once again demonstrated the value and reach of the CACT.
"This result highlights the unique breadth of the CACT's work in targeting a wide range of criminal activity, including forced labour, and the importance of the Commonwealth's Proceeds of Crime Act in preventing offenders from benefiting from their crimes," Mr Jerga said.
"The successful outcome of this case is a testament to the dedication of the CACT's highly skilled and determined lawyers and investigators."
Human Trafficking Southern Command Team Leader Detective Sergeant Daisie Beckensall said the AFP's commitment to disrupting this crime type was unwavering.
"If you hold a person in domestic servitude, or commit other human trafficking offences, our investigators will work tirelessly to ensure offenders are found, put before the courts and remove victims from harm," Det-Sgt Beckensall said.
The Commonwealth's proceeds of crime laws provide expansive tools for the restraint of both proceeds and instruments of crime, as well as pecuniary penalty and unexplained wealth orders, based on a civil standard of proof. These laws operate separately to any criminal prosecution and can also operate when there is no related criminal investigation or prosecution.
The AFP-led CACT brings together the resources and expertise of the AFP, Australian Border Force, Australian Taxation Office, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and AUSTRAC. These agencies together trace, restrain and ultimately confiscate criminal assets.
Once forfeited to the Commonwealth, assets are liquidated by the Australian Financial Security Authority Official Trustee. The funds derived from the sale of forfeited assets are placed into the Confiscated Assets Account, managed by the Official Trustee on behalf of the Commonwealth.
These funds can be distributed by the Minister for Home Affairs, to benefit the community through crime prevention measures, diversion programs or other law enforcement initiatives across Australia.
