A 45-year-old Hillside man has been charged, along with two other Melbourne men, as part of an investigation into an alleged $6.6 million extortion of a Melbourne construction company in October last year.
Investigators will allege those involved falsely claimed to have acted as mediators between the company and union officials, purporting to have negotiated on their behalf to prevent disruptions at the company’s building sites.
The company was then sent an invoice for $6.6M and allegedly extorted.
Three search warrants were executed on the morning of Thursday 23 October at residential addresses across Melbourne, as part of Taskforce Hawk.
The warrants were executed with assistance from the Clandestine Laboratory Squad, Major Drug Squad and Joint Organised Crime Taskforce.
The trio were charged with extortion and refusing to comply with a data access order.
All three were bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 28 October for a filing hearing.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Taskforce Hawk was established to specifically target criminal behaviour linked to the construction industry.
Police are also instigating approaches with relevant industry stakeholders to gather intelligence, as well as working closely with a range of law enforcement partners, regulators and government authorities.
Anyone with information about these incidents is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit an online confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
