Awful blow for footy legend Robert DiPierdomenico as his son is JAILED for crimes related to his gambling addiction
The son of an AFL legend will spend nine months behind bars for stealing $140,000 from a family-owned business.
Dylan DiPierdomenico admitted 71 instances of fraud over 10 months while he was national sales manager at MGI Golf.
He stole $140,717.70 from the family-run golfing wholesaler, between August 2018 and June 2019, by fraudulently running transactions and creating invoices for customers with his PayPal or bank account details.
He has since paid back about $18,000 to the business, however more than $122,000 remains outstanding.
The son of retired AFL player Robert ‘Dipper’ DiPierdomenico said he stole the money due to a gambling addiction, which he is now receiving counselling for.
DiPierdomenico, who has been on bail for the offending, faced the County Court in Melbourne on Thursday where he learnt his fate after pleading guilty to obtaining property by deception.
Dylan DiPierdomenico (pictured left with his AFL legend father Robert) has been jailed for nine months after stealing more than $140,000 from a business he was employed by
DiPierdomenico (pictured outside a Melbourne court earlier this month) was slammed by a magistrate for failing to pay back any of the money he stole
During a hearing earlier this month, MGI Golf chief executive Carrie Edwards-Britt claimed Robert DiPierdomenico told a mutual friend he could not understand why she was angry over the situation because it was ‘just money’.
Judge Richard Maidment handed him a nine-month prison term and he will have to spend two years on a community work order.
He said the fact MGI Golf has not received ‘one dollar’ since DiPierdomenico was dismissed in 2019 was ‘troubling’.
‘You’ve had five-and-a-half years to repay some of the money that you obtained dishonestly,’ the judge told him.
‘I was told you haven’t had the opportunity to do that because of legal fees.
‘A more clear link between that and remorse would’ve been to see you put their priorities ahead of your own.’
DiPierdomenico, who will have to spend 200 hours doing supervised community work, was taken to prison from court by custody officers.
He has also been ordered to pay back MGI Golf $122,550.20.
