A sentence of nine years (notionally) for orchestrating a fraudulent investment scheme involving $1.3 million from 36 victims, with money laundering, committed while on bail for similar Victorian offences, is within the bounds of appropriate sentencing discretion. Distinctions in the scale of offending (number of victims, total sums) have limited utility once the offending reaches a sufficiently serious level. Offending while on bail, and particularly in defiance of a court's grant of bail to enable restitution, is a significant aggravating factor.
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