Chapter 10.
A Taxing Time
High up on the top floor of the Surry Hills Police centre, Agent Johnson was pacing backwards and forwards, wearing a path in the synthetic, grey carpet, in Sargent Tiernan’s office.
‘So, what did you find out about ASPER PTY LTD, the company that registered the Mercedes ‘, Sargent Tiernan asked, as he put down the phone, and turned his chair and looked expectantly at the pacing Agent Johnson.
‘So far, I’ve found evidence of a murky corporate structure’ Johnson replied, as he ran his hand distractedly through his dark hair. ‘This ASPER PTY LTD is owned by a non-profit organisation called World Health Crusade in Luxembourg. Very little tax is being paid, from what I can see. However, this is just the start of a very complicated business structure, where money flows from subsidiary to subsidiary and through various non-profit organizations, and tax havens. But one thing I can tell you is that, some very clever accounting has made sure that none of it touches our friend Giovani Sciarra, alias, John Merlo’.
Sargent Tiernan nodded and said, ’the kingpin usually isolates himself totally in these crime structures, never giving direct orders himself, even. Uses a Capobastone to direct the ‘family’ members and he alone reports directly to the don. Larger organized crime syndicates have separate capos to direct different and district crime cells, but in this case, the information that we have received tells us that this is a small, tight, crime family, operating in Sydney and Melbourne, which has associations and links with other distinct calabrain- Ndrangheta cells.’
‘This structure is what makes it so damned hard to pin the crime boss, boss’.
Nodding again, Sargent Tiernan asked, ‘any info yet about this brothel called Angel’s Place?’
‘It’s strange, every time we ring, what appears to be an Eastern suburbs number, found on Pasquale Scamardo’s phone, we get diverted to a message service. So, no, not yet, but I’m working on it’.
‘OK, we need some more specific information, if we want to crack this mob apart. So get on it’.
Johnson hadn’t mentioned the books and DVDs that Agent Carras had discovered, yet, but he was hoping that he would soon be able to get his hands on them, soon.
As Johnson opened the office door, ready to step out into the hall, Sargent Tiernan called out, ‘My sister’s throwing a party at her house in Sans Souci, tonight. You’re welcome to come if you are free. A lot of good sorts’ will be there’.
‘Thanks Sarg, but I’ve got other plans’.