Sydney Security Entrepreneur Sentenced to Jail for Aiding Bribe to ATO Officer

Sydney Security Entrepreneur Sentenced to Jail for Aiding Bribe to ATO Officer

A Sydney security industry entrepreneur has been sentenced to almost three years in jail after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting a bribe of a Commonwealth public official. John Zeitoune, who helped plan and deliver a $100,000 payment to a corrupt Australian Taxation Office officer, was taken down last Thursday at Parramatta Court.

The case revolved around Zeitoune’s business associate Raymond Shlemon, who bribed former ATO employee Wenfeng Wei. Zeitoune’s business, Global World Group (GWG), subcontracted Zeitoune’s business, Asset Security (later known as Asset Group Security), which was still providing security services to clients despite Zeitoune’s security license being suspended.

The bribery case stemmed from a $100 million money laundering sting that also implicated other associates of Zeitoune. The National Anti-Corruption Commission detailed the transaction where $100,000 in cash was handed over in a white plastic bag on the Granville railway station bridge.

The ATO has been cracking down on the private security industry, making it one of the first sectors to adopt the Single Touch Payroll system to combat tax avoidance and money laundering in the Shadow Economy. Organised crime investigators have also been monitoring the security industry due to its ties to cash-generating assets like licensed venues and adult industries.

This case serves as a reminder of the consequences of corruption and the importance of upholding integrity in all sectors of business.