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An accountant who stole more than $2 million from some of Australia’s best-known musicians and restaurateurs has been sentenced to six years in jail.
Damien Luscombe, 38, was a partner and business manager at accounting firm White Sky when he began transferring money that should have gone into his client’s bank accounts into his own.
Between September 2011 and September 2022, Luscombe produced at least 337 false documents to facilitate 239 fraudulent transactions.
He would manipulate legitimate invoices or create false invoices with bank billing details changed to his personal Commonwealth Bank account.
Damien Luscombe (pictured) has been sentenced to six years in prison for embezzling more than $2 million from well-known Australian music stars and restaurateurs.
Luscombe also created fake emails purporting to be from clients or their managers requesting payments, again using his personal bank account information.
His high-level position meant that only his signature was needed to authorize the documents.
In total, Luscombe pocketed $2,166,036.29 over the 11-year period.
His victims included artists Gotye, Angus and Julia Stone, and Peking Duk, as well as the owners of Melbourne restaurants Mr Miyagi and The Meatball and Wine Bar.
Some of the best-known victims of the Luscombe scheme include Australian music stars Angus and Julia Stone (pictured).
The accountant also stole money from Australian singer and songwriter Wouter Andre De Becker, better known by his stage name Goyte (pictured).
Sentencing Luscombe on Wednesday, County Court Judge George Georgiou said he had betrayed the trust of his victims.
“He was defrauding them of their money while pretending to be their friend,” the judge said.
Judge Georgiou accepted that Luscombe committed his crimes to fund his gambling addiction, but said that was no excuse.
“He had ample opportunity to reflect on the illegality of what he was doing and to seek professional help,” the judge said.
“You did not do it”.
He jailed Luscombe for six years but will be eligible for parole after three years and nine months.