The Australian Securities & Investments Commission reported that the Supreme Court of Western Australia has sentenced Perth fraudster Chris Marco to 14 years’ imprisonment, with eligibility for parole after 12 years, following his conviction on 43 fraud offences involving six investors and AUD 34,332,453. The conviction followed a four-year ASIC investigation into conduct alleged to have occurred between July 2013 and October 2018, when Marco obtained more than AUD 36.5 million from nine investors by deceit or other fraudulent means. He was initially charged in July 2022 with 50 fraud counts, with the matter proceeding to trial on 43 counts; ASIC investigated and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions prosecuted. Related allegations against former executive assistant Linda Marissen were not upheld, with Marissen acquitted of all fraud charges. Earlier Federal Court proceedings in December 2020 ordered the winding up of the unregistered managed investment scheme operated by 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. The sentence was backdated to 4 September 2025 and makes Marco eligible for parole not before 2037; ASIC characterised it as the highest sentence imposed by an Australian court in relation to an ASIC criminal investigation.
Australian Securities & Investments Commission 2025-10-30
Australian Securities & Investments Commission reports 14-year prison sentence for Chris Marco in AUD 34.3 million investor fraud case
The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) announced that the Supreme Court of Western Australia sentenced Chris Marco to 14 years in prison for 43 fraud offences involving AUD 34,332,453, with parole eligibility after 12 years. This follows a four-year ASIC investigation into fraudulent activities between 2013 and 2018, where Marco deceitfully obtained over AUD 36.5 million from nine investors. The sentence, backdated to September 2025, is the highest in an ASIC criminal investigation.