Sports Integrity detectives in Victoria have escalated a major investigation into alleged corrupt gambling linked to the Australian Football League's most prestigious individual awards, the 2021 and 2022 Brownlow Medals.
Expanding List of Accused
On Tuesday, authorities charged a fifth man, a 34-year-old from the Melbourne suburb of Oak Park, bringing the total number of individuals implicated to five. This latest accused faces a total of 21 serious charges, including undertaking a course of conduct to use corrupt conduct information for betting purposes. He is scheduled to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on December 12.
Simultaneously, the case against former AFL umpire Michael Pell has been expanded. Pell, who resigned from his umpiring position in 2022, was already confronting six betting fraud offences related to the 2021 awards. Detectives have now added a further two counts concerning the 2022 awards, specifically engaging in conduct that corrupted a betting outcome.
The Mechanics of the Alleged Leak
The core of the scandal revolves around the alleged leaking of Brownlow Medal voting outcomes for specific matches ahead of the official awards nights. The process for the Brownlow, often called 'Charlie', involves umpires awarding votes on a 3-2-1 basis after each game. These results are kept under tight security until the AFL chief executive reveals them during the glamorous presentation ceremony.
Court documents allege that Pell, the 34-year-old former umpire from Glenroy, communicated inside information to three other men. This information pertained to which AFL players received three votes or any votes in six specific games ahead of the September 2021 awards night. The charge sheets state Pell knew this information would corrupt betting outcomes when he passed it on.
Detailed Betting Allegations Emerge
Further accusations claim that Pell personally placed bets under the account name 'Lincoln Busby' with prominent betting agencies Sportsbet, Ladbrokes, and Neds in September 2021. He is alleged to have bet on players 'to poll three Brownlow Medal votes' or 'to poll a Brownlow Medal vote' from five or six AFL games while in possession of information that could corrupt the betting outcome.
The other co-accused face a litany of charges. William Forde, a 35-year-old from Reservoir, is confronting 53 charges. These include dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by using another person's credentials to operate a betting account, passing on information for fraudulent bets, and placing bets himself on both the 2021 and 2022 Brownlow Medals across numerous platforms.
Donovan Pell, Michael's 31-year-old brother from Hadfield, has been charged with 23 offences, including using two different account names and dishonestly obtaining personal credentials to place bets on the 2021 vote.
A fourth man, Mitch Lucas, aged 32 from Doreen, stands accused of 20 offences. These involve communicating information about the 2022 Brownlow to others, knowing they would place bets, and placing bets under his own name and an alias.
The awards at the centre of this scandal were won by Port Adelaide's Ollie Wines in 2021 and Carlton captain Patrick Cripps in 2022. There is no suggestion that either player was involved in or aware of the alleged betting scheme. All accused parties are expected to face court in December, with Pell's hearing set for December 4.
