Three private detectives are facing an extended stay behind bars if they are found guilty of spying on a property developer in the midst of a feud with his sibling rival.
GM Risk Group boss Liam Ryan has been charged with 11 breaches of the Surveillance Devices Act after allegedly being hired by Joe Nahas.
The 45-year-old is accused of installing tracking and surveillance devices on Fadie’s car while it was parked outside his apartment in Sydney‘s Olympic Park on April 27, 2019, alongside operatives Johanna Hamdorff, 38, and Vinnie Rovedi, 58.
The team is accused of then gathering information obtained from those devices to pass onto Joe, including Fadie’s whereabouts and activities.
Installation of surveillance devices without the owner’s consent has a maximum sentence of five years behind bars.
That penalty applies again if information collected from an illegal device is passed on to a third party.
Hamdorff will face one charge over the alleged installation of the tracking device on Fadie’s car, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Rovedi, a former undercover drug officer for NSW Police, has been charged with four offences.
Three private security agents could be thrown behind bars if found guilty of spying after being hired by property developer Joe Nahas (pictured)
The most serious allegation is faces is using identification information with the intention of committing a crime – punishable by up to seven years behind bars.
Ryan and Hamdorff lost their individual security licences after being hit with criminal charges in March 2024 but will challenge the decision in court on March 18.
Rovedi did not have a NSW security licence at the time of the alleged offences.
Their criminal case will return to court on April 10.
Joe, who has not faced any charges over the alleged spying scandal and is not accused of any wrongdoing, is the owner of Coronation Property which has some $5.7billion worth of developments under its belt.
It is understood he and his younger brother fell out over a business disagreement.
Joe came to the public’s attention in early 2022 after Coronation Property employed embattled former deputy prime minister John Barilaro as its executive director.
Mr Barilo quit his position with the company after being appointed as a government trade ambassador based in New York.
Johanna Hamdorff, Vinnie Rovedi (pictured) and Liam Ryan were allegedly involved in the installation of an illegal surveillance device on Fadie’s car
While his involvement with the politician may be what he’s known best for, Joe’s own rise to success has been applauded.
Joe listed himself as ‘unemployed’ on his then personal insolvency agreement in October 2012 following the failure of his three construction companies.
He then went on to become the director of Coronation Property in March 2014 having finalised his obligations to creditors.
Records seen by the Herald indicate much of Joe’s development projects have been bankrolled by 63-year-old billionaire recluse Zeljko Ranogajec, 63.
The high-stakes gambler has been nicknamed ‘The Loch Ness Monster’ due to his rare public sightings.
Ranogajec fronted a Sydney court in 2008 for an issue relating to his wagering company.
He used his alias, John Wilson, and described himself as a investor living in Mosman.
When asked how much his syndicate’s annual turnover is, Ranogajec said: ‘My guess would be $1billion’.
Mr Naha’s development projects have been largely bankrolled by billionaire recluse Zeljko Ranogajec (pictured)
It’s understood Ranogajec is also financing Joe’s beach houses in Wamberal, on the Central Coast, and Darling Point mansion.
Joe’s then-wife, Danielle Elkorr spent $11.125million on a waterfront property in Sutherland Crescent in 2015.
After having blown through an estimated $10million in the last decade, the home remains incomplete.
Elkorr last year was granted a $15million mortgage on the property from a company owned by a ‘John Wilson’.
The alleged spying incident by the agents isn’t the first time the Nahas family has drawn scrutiny from the public eye.
Prominent lawyer John Landerer represented the Nahas brother in Federal Court in an effort to take down a story by the Nine Network on their feud with Fadie.
Andy was convicted of assault in 2016.