The country singer, his alleged $21.5 million fraud and the sugar babies he did it for (2024)

A country music singer allegedly masterminded a $21.5 million property fraud involving dozens of victims to spend the money on “sugar babies” and a lavish lifestyle.

Craig Heath, a singer-songwriter who claimed to work with Keith Urban, was forced to appear in court on Thursday after magistrate Donna Bakos warned she would issue a warrant for his arrest if he did not show up despite his claim to be too sick from vertigo.

Melbourne Magistrates’ Court heard Heath was facing 107 charges after investigators arrested him in February, again in April and then in May this year, as more alleged victims and evidence of his property scheme came to light.

Detective Senior Constable Lisa Mitchell told the court the scale of Heath’s alleged offending was so large she could “investigate this case for the next six years and keep finding charges”.

Police are applying to put Heath back behind bars after they arrested the 51-year-old at an Ormond cafe in April allegedly seeking to obtain $20,000 from a 56-year-old care worker in breach of his bail conditions.

The court heard he had promised one of his sugar babies a portion of the sum. A sugar baby is a person who provides romantic companionship or sexual intimacy to a wealthy person in return for gifts or financial support.

Mitchell said that between 2011 and 2024, Heath would approach people pretending to be an established property developer and offer to bulldoze their homes to replace them with townhouses.

Several of his alleged victims were vulnerable pensioners and retirees. Once money was transferred and other investors brought in, it is alleged the works would not proceed and Heath would take off with the money from both the new investors and the original owners.

The total value of the scheme in money he is accused of obtaining and attempting to obtain is $21.5 million.

Heath, who claims to suffer from a “geographical agoraphobia”, which causes anxiety when he’s “outside his home zone”, is charged with obtaining financial advantage and property by deception, theft, and using false documents involving more than 30 victims.

The court heard he was also accused of forging his mother’s signature and attempting to have false mortgages taken out on his landlord’s home.

Mitchell said Heath had used the money to “fund the lifestyle that he thinks he’s entitled to”, which included about $200,000 in support for “a number of sugar babies” over the past 18 months.

“So there’s like a website, and you log on – it’s called SugarDaddymeet.com – and you get like a young lady, and you pay her a certain amount of money a month for a relationship,” Mitchell said.

The court heard Heath would record invoices for the sugar babies, reporting them as “consultants”. Mitchell said she had spoken to “the sugar babies ... [and] a couple of them have been scammed by him”.

‘The evidence is that he has contacted at least one witness effectively with a threat.’

Magistrate Donna Bakos

Mitchell said that while on bail, Heath also contacted an alleged victim who had given a statement to police and said: “You’re f---ed, you f---ed me, gave information to the cops … now I have charges from you.”

Heath repeatedly shook his head while Mitchell gave evidence, and looked in the camera and adjusted his hair. Bakos refused to hear from Heath during the case.

“Your honour, am I allowed to say anything?” he asked the court.

Prosecutor Dr Vincent Farrugia said Heath had pursued vulnerable people, and had done so over a long period of time.

“There’s been a broad impact upon the community, lost homes, savings, psychological harm and betrayal, pressures leading to destroyed relationships,” Farrugia said.

“Given the seriousness of the offending, large-scale deception of at least 30 victims, including the monetary value which has been lost, the accused presents high risk to the community.”

Bakos agreed, saying that on summary the police’s case against Heath seemed strong. “The evidence is that he has contacted at least one witness effectively with a threat,” she said.

“What I’ve heard is over a significant period of time, the allegations are that the respondent has engaged in quite complex sophisticated fraud to the detriment of at least 30 people.”

Bakos will hear from Heath’s defence lawyers before deciding on whether to revoke his bail, and Heath will return to court later this month.

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