A $20 million office block in Surry Hills, a Vaucluse mansion and a hobby farm in the Hunter Region have been frozen by order of the NSW Supreme Court as investigators attempt to claw back $165 million allegedly skimmed from the tax office.
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Several properties owned by the alleged architects of the massive tax fraud are the subject of restraining orders, including the Bondi apartment of Adam Cranston, 30, and a $2.4 million Vaucluse home purchased by a company owned by Cranston and businessman and former television sports commentator Jason Onley last year.
But Fairfax Media can reveal a Surry Hills commercial building linked to prominent Sydney developer Michael Teplitsky has also been frozen.
Last week, officers from the Australian Federal Police raided the Double Bay headquarters of Mr Teplitsky, who is director and secretary of Tepcorp Holdings, which controls the five-storey office block on Short Street.
The building is occupied by a design college and generates more than $2 million in rent each year.
Mr Teplitsky has not been charged with any offence and Fairfax Media does not suggest Mr Teplitsky or his business partner, Boris Markovsky, have any knowledge of, or involvement in, the alleged misconduct.
Last week, the AFP asked Justice Elizabeth Fullerton to place restraining orders on dozens of properties on the basis they are suspected to be linked to the proceeds of crime.
Ten people faced court over the alleged conspiracy, with the AFP expected to lay more charges over the scandal, which has cruelled the distinguished career of deputy ATO commissioner Michael Cranston.
Mr Cranston's son, Adam and daughter, Lauren, 24, were among those charged for allegedly defrauding the Australian Tax Office by siphoning funds from payroll contractor Plutus Payroll.
Adam Cranston founded a private equity company, Synep, last year, which was linked to a company called Jrio, controlled by Rachel Anne Keary.
Ms Keary listed her company's address as the accountancy firm Scahill & Co in Parramatta, which was one of about 30 properties raided by hundreds of AFP officers last week.
Ms Keary, who has not been charged with any offence, recently purchased a Vaucluse mansion for $8.75 million. The luxury home is also the subject of a freezing order approved by Justice Fullerton last Tuesday.
Fairfax Media can also reveal that at least three properties linked to tax lawyer Dev Menon, 33, have been frozen, including a five-bedroom home in Wahroonga recently bought for $2.3 million. His company, Menon Property Group, also owns a $752,000 penthouse apartment in Ultimo.
Simon Paul Anquetil, the former chief executive of Plutus Payroll, has also been an active player in Sydney's property market.
Mr Anquetil, who was charged last week with conspiring to defraud the Commonwealth of tax revenue, owns a $2.82 million apartment in Lavender Bay, a $1.15 million penthouse in Potts Point and a $1.15 million unit in the CBD.
All of these properties have been frozen.
Over the past year, other individuals believed to be linked to the syndicate have also purchased a 50-hectare farm in the Hunter town of Vacy for $940,000 and a $1.4 million home in Miranda, about 25 kilometres south of Sydney.
