By Andrew Prentice For Daily Mail Australia
01:38 24 Jun 2023, updated 01:52 24 Jun 2023
- Jailed NRL star Jarryd Hayne allegedly is $780,000 poorer
- Allegedly duped by fellow inmate as part of a Bitcoin scam
- Ishan Seenar Sappideen promised huge investment returns
- Sappideen, 42, was convicted in 2018 of fleecing $4.6million
- Allegedly ripped off family and friends as part of Ponzi scheme
Fallen NRL superstar Jarryd Hayne is believed to have unwillingly parted with $780,000 after he was allegedly duped by a fellow inmate as part of an elaborate Bitcoin scam.
Hayne, 35, met Ishan Seenar Sappideen when behind bars at Cooma, south of Sydney, after he was initially jailed for raping a woman at her home on September 30 in 2018.
The former Eels fullback has always maintained the sexual encounter was consensual – but following his release in February last year when the Court of Criminal Appeal quashed Hayne’s conviction, a retrial was ordered.
Last month Hayne was jailed for at least three years after he was found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent.
And now it can be revealed the fallen NRL star was one of a handful of prisoners who allegedly fell victim to the sales pitch from Sappideen.
A former student at the exclusive Sydney Grammar, Sappideen promised a massive return on investments.
According to News Corp, Sappideen said he had previously earnt $290million for clients when working for an investment company alongside Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes.
There is no suggestion Cannon-Brookes had anything to do with Sappideen’s alleged dealings.
It is alleged the smooth talking Sappideen convinced at least six fellow prisoners – including Hayne – to transfer more than $2million to accounts he oversaw, between 2020 and 2022.
Sappideen, 42, from Bellevue Hill in Sydney’s east, is currently serving a 12-year jail sentence after being convicted in 2018 of fleecing $4.6million from family and friends in a Ponzi scheme.
He was transferred from Cooma to another prison after questions were raised surrounding his alleged financial dealings.
‘Earlier this year, CSNSW intelligence officers became aware of allegations an inmate at Cooma Correctional Centre was attempting to coerce and advise fellow inmates to make transactions on the financial markets,’ a CSNSW spokeswoman said.
‘The accused inmate … has since had his security classification reviewed to enable a higher level of supervision and less freedom. CSNSW refers suspected criminal activity to the Police Corrections Intelligence Unit who share intelligence with relevant state and federal police.’
The complaints were referred to the NSW Police Fraud Squad as well as the Australian Federal Police.
With prisoners not having online access, the funds were said to be transferred by people outside of jail directly into accounts controlled by contacts of Sappideen.
He then allegedly boasted to inmates monumental returns from his Bitcoin investing.
It is also believed Hayne had a settlement deed drawn up in a bid to protect his alleged six-figure investment – but the current whereabouts of his money remains unknown.
Sappideen is no stranger to the courts.
In addition to his sentence handed down in 2018 for the Ponzi scheme, he was jailed in 2005 for a similar fraud offence.
And in 2014, corporate regulator ASIC banned Sappideen from providing financial services after he successfully conned investors out of $500,000.
At the time Sappideen claimed to clients he had access to Facebook’s public share offering.
In 2001, Sappideen – then a law student – was ordered to perform 250 hours of community service after pleading guilty to stealing $60,000 from his employer at the time.
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