A Wollongong man who laundered nearly $50,000 on behalf of a methylamphetamine dealer received a jail sentence as payout, and ultimately saw none of the cash he was moving between bank accounts and withdrawing from ATMs in the Illawarra and southern Sydney.
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Timothy Mansfield, 33, was sentenced in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday for participating in a criminal group and recklessly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Documents tendered to the court revealed that police were listening in on phone conversations between Mansfield and drug kingpin Matthew Golding after establishing Strike Force Howley to investigate the supply of meth in the Illawarra, masterminded by Golding.
Mansfield was one of the members of Golding's drug syndicate and was deeply involved in purchasing and storing drugs, as well as obtianing and recovering money for the main player.
On March 21 and 22 last year, police phone taps picked up Mansfield and Golding speaking about arranging for "half a ball" or half of an ounce - roughly 14 grams - to be sold to a customer called "Jimmy".
Two weeks later, Mansfield was on the phone to Golding again, this time arranging for "a few dots" to a buyer named "Etch".
During this time, Mansfield was also laundering the proceeds of the misery Golding was inflicting on drug users in the Illawarra.
Between March 10 and April 17, 2022, Mansfield moved $48,400 in bank transfers from Golding through linked accounts belonging to him, before withdrawing the money as cash.
The primitive money laundering scheme saw Golding transfer large sums of money in round figures to Mansfield, often with the reference "thanks" or "car" to disguise the true nature of the payments.
Mansfield would then move the money between accounts in his name before withdrawing the cash from ATMs in Wollongong, Figtree and Engadine.
Police swooped on Mansfield in August last year, after conducting a search warrant that found bank cards associated with his accounts.
In Wollongong Local Court Mansfield's lawyer Matt Kwan told Magistrate Claire Girotto that Mansfield - who pleaded guilty - never saw the proceeds of his deeds and that after serving time in custody had rehabilitated himself.
"[Mansfield] received none of the money," Mr Kwan said.
Ms Girotto said she had to impose a sentence of imprisonment due to the nature of the offending, however allowed Mansfield to serve his time in the community having acknowledged his efforts at rehabilitation and the four and a half months spent in prison while on remand.
Mansfield received a nine month intensive corrections order for the offence of dealing with the proceeds of crime, taking into account his guilty plea to participating in a criminal group.
Goulding pleaded guilty in April this year to supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and participating in a criminal group and will be sentenced in September.
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