EXCLUSIVE: The nation’s financial and corporate regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), is seemingly too lazy to go after disgraced queer media magnate and former Evo Media owner, Mark Christopher Anthony, despite pleas from other business owners still being harassed by the now officially declared dodgy businessman and with evidence piling in against him.
The one-time owner of the popular SameSame website as well as capital city magazines SX, MCV, Queensland Pride and Blaze hasn’t been far away from the headlines after a disastrous fall from grace mid last year.
With his former queer media empire in flames, and chances of yet another phoenix scam scuppered by the reporting of True Crime News Weekly, Evo Media director, Mark Christopher Anthony, found himself officially disqualified from managing any corporations until 2020.
ASIC had come down with the orders in June last year, seemingly finally having had enough of his shifty ways following a decade of reports from employees to tax officials and corporate regulators over unpaid wages and superannuation.
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Yet, as this publication has been diligently reporting for close to 12 months now, Mr Anthony seems to be still quite fond of flouting directives from bureaucrats, and as recently as just last month has been moonlighting as the ‘pretend-‘manager’ of his now burnt down media empire.
Shunned by many of his former friends and business associates in Sydney after losing the lustre of his media holdings and various hangers-on, Mr Anthony had turned his sleazy eye for a dollar further afield to Melbourne, where he had latched onto a number of suburban businesses operated by hardworking gay businessmen.
Amongst their number was a dentist in north Melbourne as well as a men’s only beauty salon in the city’s suburbs. Desperate for a bit of cash after wasting his former ill-gotten gains, Mr Anthony had sent threatening so-called legal letters last month where he acted as an officer of Evo Media and demanded measly amounts amounting to a thousand or two thousand dollars in unpaid invoices.
WATCH TRUE CRIME NEWS WEEKLY CONFRONT EVO MEDIA DIRECTOR MARK ANTHONY
As far as True Crime News Weekly is aware, the businesses Mr Anthony threatened with his lousy letters refused to pay up to his demands. Indeed, the dentist forwarded the threat from Mr Anthony to ASIC and made an official complaint that the much-despised former media tycoon was managing a corporation while disqualified.
However, in an email sent back on Monday, February 12, ASIC told the hapless dentist that they simply don’t want to look into Mr Anthony and his business activities at this moment in time despite the mountains of evidence against the shonky operator.
“We have looked at the alleged misconduct and the information you have provided. We also conducted our own inquiries to obtain additional information necessary to complete our assessment,” the message sent from an official from ASIC ‘s Misconduct & Breach Reporting unit reads.
“We weighed the obligations under law against evidence available, and have determined that we will not take action.”
Understandably, the dentist and his staff were not happy with the response from the corporate regulator.
Speaking with True Crime News Weekly, the practice manager of the dental clinic said it was a disgrace that a leading regulatory body in charge with protecting businesses was allowing a dodgy boss and business operator who had left a trail of debts and destruction to continue flouting the law.
“Their choosing inaction is just as bad as his rip off schemes,” the exasperated clinic manager said.
“The guy is a danger … and he has ripped off staff of their entitlements – and he should be held to account.
“Why does one person at ASIC get to decide that he should not have the order not enforced?”
RELATED: Scams, Frauds & Crimes? Employees lift lid on Evo Media and queer power games
True Crime News Weekly sent a series of questions to ASIC about the matter. We asked if they were “too lazy” or simply did not have enough resources to pursue someone like Mr Anthony.
In a typical, mealy-mouthed, say-nothing comment mastered by bland practitioners of spin everywhere, an ASIC official provided True Crime News Weekly a short quote as well as a long list of what managing a corporation while disqualified might look like.
Included in the list are things such as “making … decision that affect the whole, or a substantial part, of the business of the corporation” and exercising “the capacity to affect significantly the corporation’s financial standing”. All of which Mr Anthony has seemingly been doing for at least a number of months despite being disqualified by ASIC since last June.
“We don’t generally comment on any investigations we may be undertaking,” the spokesperson also told True Crime News Weekly.
“However, I note that it is an offence for persons to manage while disqualified under Section 206A of the Corporations Act. Certainly, we expect anyone who is disqualified to not flout the law by engaging in acts of management.”
If you would like to officially report Mr Anthony and his dodgy business activities to ASIC or ask why they are not taking action against him, you may do so at this link.
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I think the ASIC Should be reported to the commonwealth ombudsmen