Billionaires Confidant Defrauds Him for $1.5M

The spending breakdown is eye-watering: close to $400,000 on travel, $335,000 on fashion, and $184,000 on jewellery, all allegedly charged to her employer. Neilson, meanwhile, is well known for using her fortune to help disadvantaged and marginalised communities in Australia and Africa.

Spence is also accused of applying for a black American Express card in Neilson's name without approval.

That card is alleged to have funded a $45,000 first-class trip to Seattle via Los Angeles, where Spence bought a $16,000 artwork for a male friend - who later repaid the amount, allegedly into Spence's own account. The pair then

Back in Sydney, Spence and her husband reportedly lived rent-free in a property owned by Neilson despite owning a three-bedroom unit in Erskineville.

The alleged scheme only began to surface after a shake-up in Neilson's office. Within days of starting, a new executive assistant reportedly flagged a suspicious $58,000 charge for a rose gold Rolex.

What followed was a detailed audit of Neilson's finances and the engagement of crisis manager Marnie Edwards - a former detective inspector with NSW Police - who allegedly found further discrepancies. 

On Thursday, Spence was arrested at her home and taken to Mascot Police Station, where she was later charged with 68 counts of dishonestly obtaining property by deception.

And yet, despite the scale of the allegations, Sydney's well-connected circles appear to know little about her. Calls to society insiders have so far drawn blanks.

'I've never seen her and I've never heard of her,' one high-profile socialite said.

'I'm surprised Judith allowed an outsider - with zero social ties to those insular, extremely wealthy circles - to be entrusted with her personal finances,' another added.

There's no denying Spence - who describes herself as a 'wife, daughter, big sister, best friend and mother to a fur baby' with an obsession for 'fashion, travel, home decor, magnificent gardens and bright shiny things' - is accustomed to the finer things in life. 

A Pinterest account in her name features mood boards spanning home renovations, 50th birthday ideas and a folder dubbed 'bright and shiny', filled with more than 120 pins of diamond jewellery.

Quaid's secret Aussie tabloid connection

Hollywood royalty mingled with Aussie media figures last weekend as actor Jack Quaid wed Australian actress Claudia Doumit in a tightly guarded countryside ceremony - where her family's tabloid pedigree quietly came to light.

The groom is, of course, the son of '90s rom-com icon Meg Ryan and actor Dennis Quaid, both of whom were front and centre as their son said 'I do' in NSW's picturesque Mona Farm last Saturday.

But it was the bride's own family connections in publishing and entertainment circles that had media insiders buzzing.

Claudia is the daughter of former Woman's Day beauty editor Mary Zavaglia, a familiar name from Australia's tabloid heyday, who later swapped Park Street for Los Angeles to support her daughter's acting ambitions.

'She was always really approachable around the office and hugely popular - very bubbly, and still close with the old guard of magazine people,' one former colleague recalled.

After relocating to LA about a decade ago, Zavaglia settled comfortably into the Australian expat social scene, often seen in the Beverly Hills orbit of entertainment consultant Amanda Archer.

Before her magazine days, she also ran the well-regarded salon Bizarre Hair Management with her now ex-husband Morrie Doumit.

As for the newlyweds, who met on the set of The Boys, they opted for an ultra-private celebration in the rural NSW town of Braidwood in the Southern Tablelands.

In true Hollywood-meets-country style, staff at the exclusive property were reportedly made to sign strict non-disclosure agreements, ensuring the wedding details stayed firmly under wraps.

Elle breaks her silence 

Sydney TikTok 'star' Elle Salagaras - formerly @Elle_EasternSuburbsMum, now @thats_so_elle - has broken her silence after a bitter legal saga with her former friend Cindy Killian spectacularly collapsed.

The young housewife and mother-of-three, known for her glamorous lifestyle, has declared herself 'vindicated' after Killian abruptly withdrew an AVO application that had threatened to drag their bitter fallout through the courts.

As revealed in the Group Chat last week, the proceedings were sensationally abandoned following a stern warning from Magistrate Stafford that Killian, a fellow social media personality, could be on the hook for her former bestie's legal bills - a prospect that saw her swiftly withdraw the application.

Fresh from her breast augmentation surgery and debuting a new, larger cup size, Salagaras has now gone on record to confirm what many saw coming.

'I can finally confirm that Cindy Killian has withdrawn her AVO application brought against me and all interim orders have been revoked,' she said.

'I have consistently denied there was any basis for this AVO, and Cindy's allegations, which I considered were false and without merit. The withdrawal of the application is a clear vindication of my position.'

Killian had asked the court for an order that Salagaras must not assault or threaten her; stalk, harass or intimidate her; or destroy her property or harm any animal belonging to her.

To be clear, this column does not suggest Salagaras has done any of these things.

When earlier contacted, Kilian said, 'It's something between me and her… It's a very strict and very classified police matter,' but declined to elaborate.

In response, a spokesperson for Salagaras told The Group Chat: 'Killian well knows that this is not a police matter – they have no involvement whatsoever.'

Behind the scenes, the drama continues.

Lawyers acting for the vlogger, who is married to wealthy fund manager Lucas Salagaras, revealed their client is still weighing up whether to pursue a costs order against her one-time friend - a move that could prove financially painful for the Canadian real estate agent based in Sydney.

While tight-lipped on the exact figure, I'm told Killian may need to part with 'more than one of her designer handbags' if ordered to pay up.

New to DailyMail+? Here are our most-read stories from the past week