Scammer Angela Liberatore jailed for selling fake $400K Queensland house-and-land package to her OWN cousin

A Victorian woman who defrauded her own cousin of almost $400,000 for a bogus house and land package has been jailed for more than five years.

Angela Liberatore, 50, convinced her cousin Jessica Lacivita in March 2014 that she was selling investment properties on behalf of developers and receiving commissions.

She advised Ms Lacivita and her husband Peter Koukas to purchase a project in Queensland and reportedly lent them $188,000 needed to purchase the land.

The couple paid her $1000 and obtained financing from NAB to start repaying the remainder of the debt, with Liberatore issuing a check for $127,500 from the bank.

Liberatore told them that development should be completed by December 2016 and showed them fake emails as proof.

They paid her another $35,000 between 2015 and 2016.

In May 2016, Liberatore told the couple that the builder needed another $200,000 to build the house on their land.

She helped them apply for a new loan through NAB and issued a $200.00 check to her company Luxury Home Designs in June 2016.

In mid-2017, Ms. Lacivita began contacting her cousin for updates on the investment.

Liberatore told her it had been postponed due to cyclones and then claimed the developer had gone bankrupt, saying nothing could be done and the $372,400 they had invested was missing.

She told the couple not to contact her again and in October 2017 they reported the incident to police.

The couple never recovered the money they gave Liberatore.

The 50-year-old continues to deny the offense even after a County Court jury found her guilty in July 2023 of 33 charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception and two charges of obtaining property by deception.

At Liberatore’s sentencing on Thursday, Judge Douglas Trapnell described her crimes as “heartless” and noted it had a “significantly damaging” effect on Ms Lacivita and Mr Koukas.

The couple never got back the money they gave to Liberatore, and their victim impact statements describe feeling hopeless, hurt and betrayed.

The judge reflected on the couple’s victim impact statements, which described how they felt hopeless, hurt and betrayed.

Judge Trapnell also noted that Liberatore’s mental health had deteriorated since her offending was announced, but he did not accept that it was likely to deteriorate further in prison.

He also noted her criminal history, which included numerous convictions for crimes related to dishonesty.

“Your prior criminal history demonstrates … a continued attitude of disobedience to the law,” Judge Trapnell said.

“Accordingly, in your case it is necessary that I give significant weight to specific deterrence and community protection.”

Liberatore was sentenced to five years and three months in prison, but will be eligible for parole after three years and eight months.

She has already spent 204 days in custody.