The expanding million dollar PNG gold heist
23 September 2019
AMBER HOOKER
| Sunshine Coast Daily
MAROOCHYDORE - The value of an alleged family gold heist has skyrocketed from $150,000 up to $1 million “and climbing”, a court has heard.
Peter Milton Walker, 70, and his daughter-in-law, Jessica Ann Groff, 40, were arrested on outstanding warrants and extradited from Ballina to the Sunshine Coast in July this year.
It came six years after the pair and Mr Walker’s son, Chris Walker, were alleged to have swindled a Papua New Guinea man out of $150,000 in gold (2419 grams) through an apparent business deal.
Maroochydore Magistrates Court today heard the value of the trio’s alleged crimes had now tipped $1 million.
“And climbing … it’s a lot of gold from Papua New Guinea,” Magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist told the court as Peter Walker’s matters were mentioned.
“The more you dig into this, Mr Cooper, the more you’re going to be amazed,” Mr Stjernqvist told Mr Walker’s legal representative Matthew Cooper.
Ms Groff appeared before court from custody via videolink. Prosecutor Melissa Campbell dropped a single fraud charge against her, but filed six new stealing charges.
Mr Stjernqvist said the stealing charges would ultimately proceed to the District Court given the value was greater than $30,000, and they would be contested.
He said the alleged stealing related to all three co-offenders. None have entered pleas to their charges.
Chris Walker was arrested on 18 November last year in Queensland and is currently on bail.
His and his co-accused’s matters were adjourned for mention on 4 October.
The court heard the co-defendants’ charges arise from the same circumstances.
Is there any updates on this family? , I had lots of contact with Peter walker in the past and always suspected he was conman
Posted by: Madison Preston | 09 September 2023 at 12:20 AM
What will happen to the rest of the victims? I happen to one of them who lost seven kilos.
The courts need to understand that and assess the damage caused to 12 others as well.
Posted by: Nathaniel Kupp | 29 July 2021 at 10:49 PM
Sandy Padilla - Thanks for the above information. I would like to meet or talk more about this. The person at the Gold Coast I have meet him and his wife twice over the last 10 years. Yes, they have their stories about this unsolved case in PNG.
Posted by: Kaih Bomai | 29 July 2021 at 10:18 PM
If there is more information about this please advice me....the case today here at Port Moresby court has been kicked out for no apparent reasons.
Posted by: Kaih Bomai | 22 April 2021 at 01:43 PM
I have a lot of information about this family and their scamming ways. They took over one million from the years 2002-2005.
Prior to us they scammed a successful business owner from the Gold Coast for a few millions. Those people owned a very successful swimming pool company that went broke.
They have been scamming and using the same techniques for years. I would love to be able to contact police now that they have been found to inform them of what they did to us.
Posted by: Sandy Padilla | 07 April 2021 at 07:14 AM