Company director sentenced to jail time

Steven William Hill was yesterday sentenced in the Sydney District Court to two years and nine months' imprisonment, with a minimum of one year and nine months to be served before he is eligible for parole.

ASIC alleged that between January 2006 to February 2007, Hill – through Hill Stephens & Associates Pty Ltd and International Finance Consortium (Aust) Pty Ltd – induced investors to pay approximately $618,000 to acquire interests in a house and land property development in Queensland.

“The defendant was found guilty of fraudulently misappropriating $281,000 of the invested funds, which were directed to company bank accounts to make payments to Mr Hill and other third parties,” ASIC said in a statement.

Between January 2006 and February 2007, Hill met with several investors based in NSW.

“Describing himself as a 'financier/consultant', Mr Hill, through his company Hill Stephens & Associates Pty Ltd, told investors he would be able to provide them with investment opportunities to build their wealth towards retirement,” ASIC said.

“Mr Hill reviewed the financial circumstances of investors, recommended they set up a SMSF for investment, referred investors to a solicitor to establish an SMSF, elicited establishment fees and instructed investors to deposit their funds to his company bank accounts.

“Mr Hill advised investors their funds would be used as 'seed capital' in a number of Queensland-based property developments he was facilitating. Mr Hill advised investors that they would receive returns of between 10 per cent to 30 per cent per annum; however, unknown to the investors, funds paid were not invested in the property developments as originally advised by Mr Hill.”