Annalouise Spence, the former private secretary of billionaire philanthropist Judith Neilson, has been charged with 68 counts of fraud after allegedly using a business credit card to make unauthorised purchases worth over $1.6m. The 50-year-old was refused bail at a local court hearing on Thursday.
Police allege Spence used the credit account to buy luxury items including clothing, artwork and jewellery between March 2023 and September 2025. Officers executed search warrants at her home in Erskineville and a storage unit in Campbelltown, seizing handbags, jewellery, clothing and documents.
The court heard that Spence had repaid almost $850,000 to her employer since October 2025. Her lawyer, Bryan Wrench, argued the charge sheet was defective and that his client suffers from bipolar disorder and complex PTSD. However, Judge Lucas Swan said the strength of the case was overwhelming and that a custodial sentence would be inevitable if convicted.
Neilson, who has a net worth of approximately $1.2bn, founded the Judith Neilson Institute in 2018 and owns the White Rabbit art gallery. The alleged fraud was uncovered after a restructuring of Neilson's office led to a new assistant noticing suspicious invoices, including a $58,600 bill for a pink-gold Rolex watch from London.
