AFL legend Robert 'Dipper' DiPierdomenico downplayed his son's $140,000 fraud as “it was just money”, the victim has claimed.
Dylan DiPierdomenico, 41, pleaded guilty in Melbourne County Court on Monday to obtaining property by deception.
DiPierdomenico, whose father Robert was a five-time senior player for the Hawthorn Hawks, got $140,716 from his former employer, Protege Sport Pty Ltd.
The court heard that DiPierdomenico was a national sales manager when he sold golf equipment, including buggies, to several customers between August 2018 and June 2019.
However, DiPierdomenico, who also sold golf carts, pocketed the cash to cover his debilitating gambling addiction, the court was told.
Protege Sports, trading as MGI Golf Pty Ltd in Nunawading, in Melbourne's east, sold exclusively to golf club pro shops and DiPierdomenico's unwitting customers were duped in his long-running fraud.
Prosecutors claimed DiPierdomenico used his “position of trust” and fake invoices to trick customers into transferring cash to a fake PayPal account.
DiPierdomenico, who earned $103,000 a year, also sold the stolen golf equipment at deeply discounted prices to induce false transactions.
Dylan DiPierdomenico, 41 (left, with his famous father Robert) pleaded guilty in Melbourne County Court on Monday to a cumulative charge of obtaining by deception.
Dylan's father, Robert DiPierdomenico, is a former AFL midfielder who won five premierships playing for the Hawthorn Hawks in the VFL/AFL between 1975 and 1991.
DiPierdomenico's business unraveled after now MGI Golf Pty Ltd chief executive Carrie Edwards-Britt discovered “anomalies” which she “considered suspicious”.
Carrie Edwards-Britt claimed that DiPierdomenico's father told a mutual friend that he “didn't understand why we were so upset because it was just money and his son had made us a lot of money.”
'Dylan didn't make us money. “You didn't meet your sales targets while you worked for us,” he said.
Carrie Edwards-Britt questioned DiPierdomenico, who admitted he stole $10,000 to fund a gambling addiction and said he was worried his wife would take the children and leave him.
Carrie Edwards-Britt declined DiPierdomenico's pleas for clemency before firing the disgraced sales boss and reporting him to the police.
Police raided DiPierdomenico's Vermont home before he was arrested and eventually charged.
Investigators uncovered the full extent of DiPierdomenico's theft and discovered that he provided an inflow of $77,918 and an outflow of more than $142,000 through online gambling.
Carrie Edwards-Britt, who read her victim impact statement in court, said DiPierdomenico's “lies and deceptions” crushed her family business.
Robert, known by his nickname 'Dipper', also won the Brownlow Medal in 1986 (pictured Dylan, Robert and retired AFL champion Chris Judd)
Robert was known for his large mustache and also for being badly crushed by AFL legend Gary Ablett in the first quarter of the famous 1989 Grand Final.
“Dylan took advantage of our good, trusting nature,” she said.
'We gave him a management position in an industry in which he had no experience. He knew what he was doing, it was planned, calculated and vengeful.
'He progressed when he saw that he could get his way because we trusted him. The consequences with clients were embarrassing, unprofessional and costly.
“Our reputation as a brand within the industry was severely compromised and we had to rebuild trust with our retailers.”
DiPierdomenico, currently a sales manager for a global events company, also gave evidence Monday and told the court he was a changed man.
DiPierdomenico also stated that he apologized “profoundly” for defrauding his former employer.
The defense presented media scrutiny, due to DiPierdomenico's father and his 'last name', that could reduce the need for specific deterrence and, in turn, lead to a less severe sentence.
Dylan's father, Robert DiPierdomenico, is a former AFL midfielder who won five premierships playing for the Hawthorn Hawks in the VFL/AFL between 1975 and 1991.
Robert, known by his nickname 'Dipper', also won the Brownlow Medal in 1986.
He was known for his large mustache and also for being badly crushed by AFL legend Gary Ablett in the first quarter of the famous 1989 Grand Final.
Robert suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung, but played in the game before being rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
He enjoyed a media career as a sideline for Channel 7 during AFL broadcasts and was also a regular guest on Channel 9's The Footy Show.
His son Dylan had bail extended to the magistrates court at a later date.