A lawyer convicted of laundering money allegedly given to him by a man accused of the notorious Richmond road gang robbery will spend at least three years behind bars.
Judge Phillip Coish sentenced John Anile, 58, to a maximum five years imprisonment with a minimum of three years in the Melbourne County Court on Friday.
Judge Coish took into account Anile’s previous good character, as told to the trial by a number of associates that included Fairfax Media chief executive Greg Hywood and his News Corp journalist wife Kate Legge.
Anile, a well-known solicitor from Williamstown, was found guilty by a jury of obtaining financial advantage by deception and laundering $400,000 allegedly given to him by former kickboxing champion Percy Lanciana in 1994.
The case against Anile was part of Operation Tideland, a taskforce that investigated a slick armed robbery crew that was behind one of Melbourne’s most notorious heists.
In the 1994 Richmond heist, syndicate members dressed as road workers allegedly held up an Armaguard truck to steal $2.4 million.
Mr Lanciana was charged with the Richmond robbery last year. He is contesting the accusations at a committal hearing in October.
