Rare Lady Gaga champagne seized as two charged over alleged $10m fraud
By Jessica McSweeney and Riley Walter August 15, 2024
Multiple Rolex watches, $700 bottles of Lady Gaga-branded Dom Perignon champagne and Cartier jewellery – these are just some of the luxuries police allege a criminal syndicate bought using stolen identities and car loans used for luxury vehicles that didn’t exist.
NSW Police allege Peng Bian, 40, colluded with a 31-year-old female employee of a motor vehicle financing company to use the stolen identities of 33 people to apply for loans to buy fictional luxury cars.
This case of champagne, seized by police, is worth $15,000. This case of champagne, seized by police, is worth $15,000.CREDIT: NSW POLICE Police say the woman facilitated the financing of more than 50 luxury cars worth a combined $10 million between November 2022 and August 2023. Police say the man tried to launder $600,000 through various bank accounts.
In May this year, the woman was arrested at a home in Middleton Grange, in Sydney’s west. She was charged with 102 counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and one count of possessing a prohibited drug.
As detectives continued to investigate, they searched a home in Carlingford and a warehouse in Alexandria on Wednesday.
During the search detectives allegedly found a Tesla sedan, a Mercedes-Benz van, multiple Rolex watches, luxury jewellery including Cartier rings and a significant collection of high-end wines and liquor worth more than $200,000.
Police found two bottles of Lady Gaga branded champagne. Police found two bottles of Lady Gaga branded champagne. CREDIT: NSW POLICE The collection included the rare Lady Gaga-branded Dom Perignon; cases of Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse De Lalande, Bordeaux, worth more than $300 a bottle; and
bottles of Moet & Chandon champagne. One special edition case of Armand De Brignac Ace of Spades champagne was taken into evidence. The case of six wines is worth at least $15,000.
Multiple cases of Hennessy cognac worth $350 a bottle and bottles of Sullivans Cove Tasmanian whisky, including one worth $700, were also found.
Bian was arrested at the Carlingford home and charged with two counts of recklessly dealing with the proceeds of crime and a separate charge of recklessly dealing with proceeds of crime of more than $5000, as well as participating in a criminal group.
This man will face Burwood Local Court. This man will face Burwood Local Court. CREDIT: NSW POLICE
He was refused bail in Burwood Local Court on Thursday. He will appear in Parramatta Local Court on September 26.
Detective Superintendent Gordon Arbinja, Commander of State Crime Command’s Financial Crime Squad, said more arrests were likely.
“No one should receive a letter in the mail saying they owe tens of thousands of dollars for a car they have never seen,” he said.
“I want to thank the businesses involved in this investigation for their outstanding co-operation. Thanks to them we have been able to prevent further innocent people from having their personal information caught up in this fraud.”