Charity walker who briefly vanished in the Outback after raising $32,000 is a convicted FRAUDSTER
A man who briefly went missing during a charity walk from Darwin to Perth has been convicted of multiple fraud counts in Queensland.
A supporter of Zac Chapman, 29, contacted police last week after raising concerns for his welfare.
Police searched for him on a remote section of the Gibb River Road in the Kimberley region of Western Australia and found his abandoned cart and water near the Durack River Crossing around midday, in temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius.
Less than an hour later they found Chapman at Ellenbrae station, 25 km away, and took him to Kununurra, the Western Australian reported.
It has since been revealed that Chapman was sentenced to two years in prison in August 2020 after pleading guilty to 31 fraud-related charges in Cairns District Court.
He had used the online trading site Gumtree to place false advertisements of goods for sale and then collect deposits and payments for goods that were never delivered.
Police estimate Chapman made tens of thousands of dollars from the scam.
When he was charged, Detective Sergeant Jason Smith alleged that one of Chapman’s “modes of operation” was to respond to people wanting to buy a product.
Zac Chapman, who briefly went missing during a charity walk from Darwin to Perth, has been convicted of multiple fraud counts in Queensland
“He contacted them and said he had that item for sale. After they sent the payment, the fictitious item never shipped,” the inspector told the Cairns message.
When Chapman disappeared last week, he was attempting to walk alone from Darwin to Perth to raise money for the Black Dog Institute, a mental health charity.
The charity said he is a registered fundraiser and had raised $32,450 as of Sept. 11, but on Monday Chapman posted on Facebook that “I still stand by my decision to no longer run.”
‘Not that I’m giving up or anything, there’s a few things that happened, a few things you know and a few things you don’t know.
“I just want to be by myself and focus on myself. I haven’t done that in a LONG time.”
In another post, Chapman discussed his previous convictions for fraud: ‘I am not ashamed to talk about my past.
βI have made great strides in becoming the best version of myself that I can be.β
On Wednesday afternoon he posted a message saying he would βgo live soon, chat with you all and explain this f***** situation.β
Chapman abandoned his attempt to walk from Melbourne to Perth earlier this year due to “personal health reasons,” a spokesperson for the Black Dog Institute said The Kimberley Echo.
In August 2020, Chapman was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty in Cairns District Court to 31 fraud-related charges.
Chapman had a DIY fundraising page where people could create their own challenges to raise money for the charity.
βAll funds raised through this platform are donated directly to the Black Dog Institute,β the spokesperson said.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that Chapman defrauded or is suspected of defrauding donors in connection with his halted fundraising.
Chapman and the Black Dog Institute have been contacted for further comment.