An ex-male escort who now calls himself the "Vitality King" has proclaimed his innocence in court and criticised allegations he helped launder $1.6 million in cash from six victims.
Jamie Ronald Close was first hit with 52 charges in 2020 relating to money he allegedly illegally transferred offshore.
The 52-year-old appeared at Sydney's Downing Centre District Court on Monday saying all original "imaginary" charges had been dropped and that he was now facing four separate offences.
Self-represented without a lawyer, Close asked the court to throw out all his bail conditions.
“Why would I do that?” asked Judge Christopher O'Brien.
"Because I'm an innocent man, Your Honour," Close replied.
The Catherine Hill Bay man previously worked as a male escort but, according to his LinkedIn profile, now operates as a meditation, holistic health and life coach known as the Vitality King.
He has pleaded not guilty to three counts of possessing or dealing with property reasonably thought to be the proceeds of crime over $100,000 and one count of providing a remittance service while unregistered.
Close and another man, who is also before the courts, allegedly defrauded 15 victims in total.
He criticised the case as lacking in any real evidence, being based on details from a police informant who now could not give evidence in court.
“He made the whole thing up and that's why he’s unfit to testify,” Close said.
In seeking to avoid being subject to any conditions while out on bail, the 52-year-old said the current restrictions had been granted based on the original charges which were all now dropped.
“Nothing more than imaginary charges, unsubstantiated because they're are not here now. Where did they go?” he told the court.
Because of these charges, he said he had "languished" in jail for 31 days before being released on bail.
He told the court he wanted to get on with his life, including taking care of his elderly parents and earn a living through work.
Close claimed he was impeded by "draconian" conditions, which included being of good behaviour, living at a set address, not applying for a passport, and not leaving the country.
Crown prosecutor Sean Ye opposed any changes, saying the allegations were serious and that the current conditions were "minimal and non-intrusive".
Judge O'Brien agreed, saying there no restrictions that prevented Close from working or looking after his parents.
The seriousness of the allegations and the amount of money claimed to have been transferred from the victims also meant some conditions were necessary to ensure the 52-year-old attended court, the judge said.
Close will face a jury trial in September.
