I confront Double Bay’s accused ‘fake cop’ after his sister made shocking claims about his past… as ‘kinky’ rumours and his dodgy real estate dealings come out the woodwork: LUCY MANLY
He’s the Double Bay local accused of playing out a police fantasy – but this alleged ‘fake cop’ has skeletons lurking in his closet that go beyond his reported stash of counterfeit badges.
When I questioned Jaime Charles Farrelly, 50, in Double Bay this week about the haul of replica weapons, drugs, and police gear allegedly discovered in his nearby unit – and whether it could be all part of some kinky fantasy – he kept his head down, smirking at our confrontation.
Most men in his position would have made a run for it. But, drenched from the downpour, he soon realised I’m not one to let go once I’ve caught the scent of a juicy story.
I asked if the alleged find could be just an elaborate Halloween costume given the time of year – but he refused to speak to me about it.
His sister, Amber Farrelly, 49, however, had no such reservations.
In an explosive interview, Amber detailed a family feud with her brother, regarding the custody of her 20-year-old daughter.
Jaime Farrelly stepped out in Double Bay sporting a fake MAGA hat
He was seen taking a serious phone call outside the famed InterContinental Hotel in Double Bay
‘I didn’t even know I was pregnant until I was eight months along,’ Amber told me. ‘Doctors thought I had cancer – I had just weeks to prepare for motherhood.’
Amber says Jaime has custody of her daughter and her relationship with him is strained.
Sporting a fake MAGA hat, Farrelly shrugged off my questions about his sister’s claims, simply replying: ‘I can’t comment on my sister.’
He spent the morning with his mother Pam and niece, grabbing breakfast at a local café, before heading to The InterContinental Hotel – where INXS frontman Michael Hutchence was famously found dead.
When asked what he was doing there and whether he was there to use the free Wi-Fi, he shrugged it off, saying ‘I live just locally.’
Last week, the 50-year-old was frogmarched from his Double Bay apartment after police allegedly uncovered an extraordinary stash: fake AFP, NSW Police and Victorian Police badges, replica CIA and FBI ID cards, 11 gel blasters, tactical vests, an LED flashlight, three model grenades – and 14 grams of cocaine.
Amber shared her story with Woman’s Day in 2005 after finding out she was pregnant weeks before giving birth
Amber told me she was eight months pregnant with her daughter before she even realised
Sporting a fake MAGA hat, Farrelly shrugged off questions about his sister’s claims, simply replying: ‘I can’t comment on my sister’
Jaime and his niece braved the rain on Wednesday ahead of his court appearance on Thursday
Also allegedly seized were steroids, a fake Secret Service badge and piles of counterfeit paraphernalia.
The alleged find reportedly came after a member of the public handed in a fake AFP ID card with a bag of cocaine tucked behind it at Bondi Police Station.
Investigators soon arrived at Farrelly’s door.
Police say the charges – which include impersonating a federal officer and drug supply – are ‘extremely concerning’.
On Thursday at the Downing Centre Local Court (currently sitting at the JMT building), Farrelly appeared in a black shirt and a suit that looked more bargain bin than bespoke.
The matter was swiftly pushed to November 13.
Corporate regulators
Prior to his arrest, Farrelly was on the radar of corporate regulators.
In early 2023, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission banned him from managing companies after four of his Canberra-based property developments went belly-up, owing more than $9 million, including $3 million to the ATO.
The ban coincidentally ended one day before his dramatic arrest.
Allegedly recovered were four replica firearms, 11 high-end gel blasters, three model grenades, steroids, and 14 grams of cocaine
Fake t-shirts, hats, four replica firearms, 11 high-quality gel blasters, an LED flashlight and three model grenades, 14g of cocaine and steroids were also allegedly found
Farrelly’s fall from grace has been spectacular.
The Cooma-born ex-architect once ran a booming property group in Canberra, 3 Property Group, selling off-the-plan townhouses marketed as ‘smart homes’ with high energy ratings and luxury features.
But by 2021, the dream turned sour. Buyers accused 3 Property Group of ripping up their contracts using the controversial ‘sunset clause’ loophole, forcing them out of the market. Even the ACT’s Attorney-General slammed the company’s actions as ‘unconscionable’.
After the scandal, Farrelly quietly fled Canberra for Sydney’s glittering east.
Jaime was frogmarched from his Double Bay apartment and slapped with a string of alarming – and bizarre – charges
These days, he lives in an Art Deco block on New South Head Road, with sweeping views over Double Bay and Redleaf Beach. Not that it belongs to him – no title records are in his name.
Weeks before his arrest, he posted a smug video of the harbour from his balcony with the caption: ‘Come on summer cruising at 27 degrees – alright, alright, alright.’
But while he was enjoying the sun, his social media activity was raising eyebrows.
On Threads, he was still advertising a Canberra townhouse project through Elly Property Group, spruiking ‘the lovely Molongo Valley [sic]’. That same project – ‘Debut’ – had already left buyers high and dry when their contracts were axed years earlier.
He also used Threads to leave a string of bizarre messages under a young woman’s photos: ‘Hi Sella, did you lose a Harry Potter journal in Double Bay?’
She never replied.
Another eyebrow-raising – not to mention embarrassing and cringeworthy – post from Farrelly’s now-cancelled Instagram read: ‘Good sex. No stress. No boo. No ex. Small circle. Big checks.’
Back in 2017, he shared a post reading, ‘Good lawyers know the law, great lawyers know the judge’.
In 2017, he posted, ‘Good lawyers know the law, great lawyers know the judge’
Now out on bail, the disgraced developer turned alleged ‘fake cop’ must report daily to Bondi Police Station and surrender his passport.
His once-polished image has unravelled – and his sister’s claims have only deepened the intrigue surrounding his chaotic private life.
‘I told him I’m never going to his funeral – I’d throw rocks on his coffin,’ Amber said.
Whatever Farrelly’s alleged interest in police badges was about, one thing’s certain: the man who once dreamed of building Canberra’s skyline is now the talk of Sydney’s glittering east for all the wrong reasons.
