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🇦🇺 Australia /Crime & Justice

Aussie man charged with fraud, child indecency in US

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • An Australian man, Brett Joseph, faces new fraud and child indecency charges in Texas, USA, years after a fraud conviction in Australia.
  • Joseph allegedly used dating apps to deceive a woman about his wealth, despite a humble background in Mudgee, New South Wales.
  • He denies the charges, attributing them to a past relationship and stating he has not been indicted.

Brett Joseph, 39, an Australian man previously convicted of fraud in regional New South Wales, is now facing fresh charges in Texas, United States. Joseph allegedly used dating apps to portray immense wealth to a woman he met online, despite his modest upbringing in Mudgee.

We confirmed the warrant and placed him under arrest and transported [him] to the Stephens County Jail

— Sheriff Glen WhitfieldDescribing the arrest of Brett Joseph.

Texas police charged Joseph last Wednesday with fraudulent use or possession of identifying information. Officers from the Throckmorton Sheriff's Department arrested him after discovering an outstanding warrant for fraud during a traffic stop. He was held at Stephens County Jail for two days before posting a $US10,000 bond.

I have not been indicted on either charge

— Brett JosephResponding to the charges in Texas.

This is not Joseph's first encounter with the law in Texas. In October of the previous year, he was charged with indecency with a child by exposure and spent a night in jail on a $US25,000 bond. Joseph told the ABC that he has not been indicted on either charge and believes people can be arrested "on anything." He attributed the charges to a difficult breakup with a former partner.

Anyone can be arrested on anything, doesn't mean they're guilty.

— Brett JosephCommenting on the legal process.

Joseph also denied being a convicted fraudster in Australia. While records show dismissed theft and stolen property charges in Griffith Local Court, Mudgee Local Court records confirm three fraud-related convictions in 2016. He pleaded guilty to dishonestly obtaining property by deception on three counts, receiving a fine and a suspended prison sentence with a good behavior bond.

people get charged every day

— Brett JosephDownplaying the significance of the charges.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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