Former boss of NRL club on fraud charge
A former Parramatta Leagues Club executive has been charged with fraud.
The 41-year-old was charged by detectives from Strike Force Rhodium at Sydney's Day Street Police Station yesterday, NSW Police said.
He was issued with a court attendance notice for the charges of fraud and making a false statement with intent to commit fraud, and is due to appear in court on May 19.
The Sydney Morning Herald has named him as former Parramatta Eels chief executive Scott Seward.
Strike Force Rhodium was set up to investigate allegations of fraud committed against Parramatta Leagues Club members, NSW Police said in statement today.
"The allegations under investigation relate to finance being derived by the NRL club through false or inflated invoices to suppliers paid by the leagues club."
Detective Chief Inspector Matt Craft said more than 500,000 pieces of documentation and emails had been gathered, and more charges were expected.
"As our inquiries continue, we are focusing on the suspected use of false invoices to disguise payments to players," he said.
"It doesn't appear to have been an isolated incident or the actions of just one individual.
"This is the second person we have charged and we anticipate more in the not too distant future."
Det Chief Insp Craft says it's believed there are a number of people with knowledge of fraudulent activity and has urged them to come forward.
The 42-year-old faces two separate charges, including knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime worth $72,000 between December 2014 and March 2015 at Parramatta.
Police also allege he used false invoices and the fake sponsorship agreement to deceptively obtain $17,490 from the Parramatta Leagues Club.
The Eels were stripped of 12 competition points and fined $1 million in 2016 after they were found guilty by the NRL of cheating the salary cap.
An NRL investigation discovered Parramatta funnelled cash to players through inflated invoices and third-party payments.
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