A Sydney jeweller and an accomplice have been sentenced to a combined total of more than eight years in prison after being convicted in connection with a staged robbery and attempted insurance fraud.
Michel Elias Germani, former owner of Germani Jewellers at Sydney’s Hilton Hotel, and Mounir Helou were sentenced at Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court following their convictions for attempting to dishonestly obtain a financial advantage by deception.
Court Finds Robbery Was Planned by Store Owner
The court heard that Germani orchestrated a staged robbery at his jewellery store in January 2023.
The court heard that Helou and another man entered the store after hours, restrained Germani and shop assistant Lana Al-Khoury, and took approximately AU$20,000 in cash and AU$120,000 worth of jewellery.
Judge Georgia Turner found that Germani was the organiser of the scheme. The court heard he was facing financial pressures at the time, including rental arrears of approximately AU$184,000.
The court heard that Germani increased his insurance cover in the weeks before the incident and had previously attempted to recruit others to take part in the planned robbery.
Following the incident, Germani submitted an insurance claim stating that 164 jewellery items valued at more than AU$2.8 million had been stolen.
The insurer rejected the claim following an investigation that the court heard cost nearly AU$50,000.
Disputed Claims Regarding Employee Involvement
During sentencing, Germani sought a reduced sentence on the basis that he had offered assistance to police regarding Ms Al-Khoury.
He alleged that the employee had agreed to participate in the staged robbery in exchange for help pursuing a workers’ compensation claim.
However, Judge Turner said there was insufficient evidence to support the allegations and stated she could not conclude, on the balance of probabilities, that Ms Al-Khoury had been involved in planning the offence.
The court also noted there was no evidence that police had acted on Germani’s claims.
Sentences Handed Down
Germani pleaded guilty to attempting to dishonestly obtain a financial advantage by deception and to perverting the course of justice after providing police with two false statements about the robbery.
He received a sentence of four years and 10 months, with a non-parole period of three years and three months. He will first become eligible for parole in August.
Helou was sentenced to two years and 10 months’ imprisonment for his role in the scheme. His sentence was backdated to account for time already served in custody.
Both men are currently incarcerated in Sydney correctional facilities.
Earlier Acquittals
The sentencing follows a jury retrial in April in which both men were acquitted of aggravated robbery involving corporal violence.
Germani was also found not guilty of a charge of kidnapping with intent to obtain an advantage.
Prosecutors had argued that Ms Al-Khoury was an innocent victim of the staged robbery but were unable to secure convictions on those charges.
