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4 months ago
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A recruitment boss who left a trail of debts around Australia and posted selfies with high profiles celebrities including David Koch and Roxy Jacenko has been arrested on new fraud charges.
Luke Hemmings, 30, was charged with three fraud offences relating to dishonestly inducing delivery of property worth around $100,000 on on the Gold Coast on Tuesday.
Queensland Police arrested Hemmings, who is the managing director of Whitefox Recruitment, following a search warrant at his Southport office and will appear in court next month, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.
Hemmings was previously exposed as a failed businessman after he left behind a string of debts from several unsuccessful companies.
A court ordered another recruitment agency called Lambert Willcox Group, which was run by Hemmings, to be closed over a $170,000 debt.
Hemmings was also the head another firm called Coceptive Recruitment, which entered liquidation in 2021, with the business owing creditors $760,000.
The company previously traded under the name Whitefox Recruitment Canberra after Hemmings established the businesses with his mother in 2019.
He relocated the company to the Gold Coast in August 2023 in the search of new growth opportunities.
Queensland Police arrested Luke Hemmings (pictured) on Tuesday at his office on the Gold Coast, where the 30-year-old was charged with three fraud offences
Daily Mail Australia doesn't suggest that the latest fraud charges are related to the collapsed companies.
Hemmings declined to comment on the newsfraud allegations when contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday night.
'I exercise my right to silence. Please confer with my lawyer for comment,' he said.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Hemmings' lawyer and police for further comment.
The former radio DJ and real estate agent used selfies with former Sunrise hosts David Koch and Samantha Armytage to spruik his business in a sponsored online media article in 2023.
He was also pictured with public relations queen Roxy Jacenko, but the trio claimed that they don't even know him.
Just two months before he moved to Queensland, Hemmings hailed himself as a business leader in an article for Canberra City News, where outlined his bold ambitions to become the nation capital's most successful recruitment agency director and boasted about his celebrity connections.
He revealed he had overcome numerous setbacks, including a life-changing event that 'nearly shattered my dreams' and cast a dark shadow over his future.
'Over the years, I've had the chance to rub shoulders and connect with some of the finest operators in the country, including Samantha Armytage, David Koch and Roxy Jacenko,' the May 2023 article stated.
Hemmings told Daily Mail Australia that the Canberra article accurately portrayed his interactions with public figures, adding that he'd drawn inspiration from Koch, Armytage and Jacenko.
'This was neither to imply personal friendships nor to self-promote unduly,' he said.
He added that it was important to note that the selection of photos used was made by Canberra City News.
Hemmings (pictured left) used selfies featuring several celebrities including public relations queen Roxy Jacenko (pictured) to spruik his business in a sponsored media article published in 2023
He also acknowledged that he may not have a personal friendship with Ms Jacenko, but confirmed their paths had crossed professionally.
Hemmings addressed the claims with Daily Mail Australia last November after he was outed on the front page of a local newspaper on the Gold Coast as a failed music promoter, real estate agent and businessman.
The publication also referenced historic claims he was once accused of faking his own death.
It also reported that Hemmings has previously has also been known as Dene Broadbelt, Lucas Hemmings, Dene Musillon, Dene Morgan, Harrison O’Connor, Harrison Eyles, Nic Lloyd and Clay O’Connor.
Hemmings insisted at the time that the recent 'increased media attention' hadn't had a negative effect on his company.
While he admitted that while the reports about his chequered past 'dredged up matters dating back to 2012' he insists the effect on his business had been nothing but positive.
'Interestingly, this increased media attention, despite its questionable intent, has positively impacted my business,' he added.
Whitefox Recruitment is described as an agency changes 'the perception and landscape of recruitment across the Gold Coast'.
'We don’t just publish new jobs, cross our fingers and hope for the best. We create and execute tailored campaigns that we refine along the way,' the websites states.
Former Sunrise presenter David Koch (pictured right) claimed he doesn't know Hemmings after the recruitment boss (pictured left) claimed he has previously connected with the financial journalist
A post uploaded to the company's Facebook page earlier this month listed some of his recent accomplishments.
Hemmings is understood to have been award the Most Dedicated Legal Services Recruitment CEO of the Year and Legal Services Recruitment CEO of the Year 2024.
'Luke’s relentless drive and unmatched leadership have not only set the bar but raised it to soaring heights,' the post stated.
Hemmings will appear in Southport Magistrates Court on August 8.
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