Brendan Gunn, the brother of viral Olympic breakdancer Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn, has been sentenced for his role in an international cryptocurrency scam that defrauded three Australian investors of more than $180,000. Gunn, 43, of Brisbane, pleaded guilty in January to dealing with funds suspected to be the proceeds of international scams.
Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney handed Gunn a 12-month suspended sentence on Wednesday. He was also ordered to return to Queensland. Acting Judge David Day noted that Gunn was part of a larger international criminal network, facilitating transactions within Australia for overseas perpetrators who could not operate directly within the country's financial institutions.
"Mr Gunn helped facilitate organised criminal activity," Judge Day stated. "This kind of offending is facilitated by people living in the Australian jurisdiction, assisting perpetrators being out of the Australian jurisdiction, often in countries where there are difficulties in extradition."
The victims included a pensioner, a teacher, and a construction worker. One victim, a 74-year-old retiree, lost funds that were described as impossible to recover. A 69-year-old teacher and a 59-year-old construction worker also suffered significant financial losses. Judge Day acknowledged that Gunn appeared remorseful for the impact his actions had on the victims, particularly noting their ages and proximity to retirement.
Gunn has been unemployed for the past four years due to the charges and currently relies on permanent disability payments as his sole source of income. The court had to reduce his bail requirement from $5,000 to $3,000 after he stated he could not afford the initial amount.