SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — A Sydney-based accountant has been arrested and charged with facilitating financial crimes allegedly linked to the notorious Alameddine crime network. His client, reportedly a key figure within the network, is also facing serious fraud allegations.
George Jack Michael, 43, was taken into custody in Croydon on May 13, just hours after police executed a search warrant at a taxation office in Sydney’s CBD. The raid uncovered both digital and physical financial records allegedly tying Michael to criminal transactions involving the Alameddine group.
Following the search, authorities also charged Masood Zakaria, 30, one of Michael’s clients and an alleged leader within the network, with mortgage fraud. Zakaria is described in court documents as the head of “Proper 60,” a subgroup operating under the Alameddine crime syndicate.
Michael is facing four charges in total: two counts of publishing false or misleading material to gain an advantage, and two counts of making false documents to obtain a financial benefit. The investigation into Michael began in December 2021, and culminated in his appearance before Burwood Local Court last Tuesday, where he was granted conditional bail.
Police allege that Michael knowingly aided members of the Alameddine network in laundering funds and committing fraud, effectively serving as a key financial enabler for the group’s illicit operations.
Zakaria’s mortgage fraud charge was added following further police inquiries into financial dealings uncovered during the accountant’s investigation.
The case marks another blow to the Alameddine network, which has been under increasing scrutiny from law enforcement over its widespread involvement in organised crime across New South Wales.
