Australian Securities & Investments Commission reports Chris Marco found guilty of AUD 34.3 million investor fraud

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) announced that a Supreme Court of Western Australia jury has found Perth businessman Chris Marco guilty of fraud after a five-week trial. The unanimous verdict, delivered on 4 September 2025, covered 43 fraud counts totalling AUD 34,332,453 relating to six investors, while Mr Marco’s former executive assistant, Linda Marissen, was acquitted of all charges. Ms Marissen faced 30 charges; at the end of the prosecution case the Court entered not guilty verdicts on 13 counts for insufficient evidence, and the jury returned not guilty verdicts on the remaining 17 counts. Mr Marco has been remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on 30 October 2025; the matter was investigated by ASIC and prosecuted by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth). ASIC’s background notes allege Mr Marco obtained over AUD 36.5 million from nine investors between July 2013 and October 2018 by deceit or fraudulent means, and that he was initially charged in July 2022 with 50 counts of fraud, with the trial proceeding on 43 counts. ASIC also referenced earlier Federal Court proceedings that wound up an unregistered managed investment scheme operated by Mr Marco and AMS Holdings (WA) Pty Ltd and permanently restrained him from carrying on a financial services business without an Australian Financial Services Licence or operating an unregistered managed investment scheme.