Two printers were among 17 businesses used by a disgraced education department official to allegedly funnel $2.5m from schools into his own pockets.
Former Victorian Education Department finance manager Nino Napoli admitted at a corruption inquiry hearing to orchestrating the wide-reaching scam between 2007 and 2014, and perhaps even earlier.
Napoli created a network of businesses owned by family and associates who would invoice the department for work that was either never done or with greatly inflated prices.
He would order principals and department bureaucrats to pay the invoices and his associates would send the money back to Napoli – after taking their cut.
One of these businesses is R&D Personalised Printing, owned by Napoli’s brother Robert Napoli, that was allegedly paid more than $66,000 for 33 invoices.
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The fraudulent invoices were issued to John Fawkner Secondary College, where Gus Napoli, bother to Nino and Robert, is the principal. It was one institution used as a ‘banker school’, where funds would be pooled before being spent.
The Sunshine North printer’s website says it provides general commercial, garment, and signage printing, promotional products, graphic design, and websites – but its phone number is not connected.
The second printing business is C & L Printing, owned by Napoli’s cousin Carlo Squillacioti, which was set up specifically as part of the scam.
It was one of five businesses he owned with his brother Luigi that were paid at least $275,000 between them.
C & L Printing has no website or contact information and Squillacioti told the inquiry the company did not own any kit and instead brokered printing services.
The money gained from the fraudulent invoices was used to pay for overseas travel, credit card bills, lavish staff parties, Italian wine, Easter bunnies, Christmas puddings, and at least $125,000 as pocket money for Napoli’s two sons.
Napoli was sacked for misconduct in April and six others including Gus Napoli, other principals, and regional administrators have so far lost their jobs or been suspended as a result of the corruption inquiry.
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