Childcare boss emerges to face criminal charge

The Age

2 days ago

The boss of the collapsed Genius chain of childcare centres is hoping to escape conviction in a Melbourne court after pleading guilty to a financial offence.
Embattled daycare entrepreneur Darren Misquitta has admitted to one charge of dealing with property suspected of being the proceeds of crime while acting as a business consultant in 2019.
Under the little-used law, a person is guilty of an offence, carrying up to two years in jail, if they are found to have possessed money or goods reasonably suspected of being the proceeds of crime.
Misquitta's chain of 39 Genius childcare centres across the country collapsed in June, leaving workers, creditors and tax authorities chasing debt.
The administration processes of the various companies behind the group are still playing out.
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The Gold Coast-based businessmen, who was declared bankrupt last month, admitted in court on Thursday to one count of dealing with the proceeds of crime after he unknowingly handled $120,000 from a client of his business consultancy in 2019 that was later found to have been fraudulently obtained.
Misquitta's barrister, Sam Tovey, told magistrate Patrick Allan on Thursday that the offending had been at the lower end of culpability and there was no evidence of 'deliberate fraudulent behaviour'.
Tovey said that because of his client's lack of previous convictions, the court should consider a non-conviction, arguing that another person found to have committed the same offence related to the fraud had escaped conviction.