Melbourne underworld figure George Marrogi is accused of 'manipulating his girlfriends to do his bidding while running a crime empire behind bars'

Feared underworld killer George Marrogi is accused of manipulating women to do his bidding from behind bars. 

On Monday, one of Marrogi's former girlfriends, Jessica Homa, pleaded guilty to unwittingly helping the crime boss to launder $100,000 through her wedding events company. 

The 27-year old is the second of Marrogi's girlfriends to face jail time over her involvement with Marrogi and his Melbourne Notorious Crime Family gang.

In February, another Marrogi's other girlfriends, Antonietta Mannella, 28, was sentenced to 13 years in jail after admitting to helping him run his international drug importation syndicate. 

Mannella, who appeared in court from prison, and Marrogi's own mother Madlin Enwiya both pleaded guilty on Monday afternoon to money laundering charges, with their matters to return to court in December. 

The court heard Marrogi had sunk his claws into Homa, manipulating and isolating her from her family in a bid for her to help him hide the proceeds of his prison methamphetamine-dealing operation. 

Homa had been aged just 24 at the time and had never had a run in with the law. 

Her barrister, Dr Mark Gumbleton, claimed Marrogi had used Homa 'as a vehicle to make dirty money'. 

'It was a relationship which was controlling, which took her away from her family,' he said. 

Dr Gumbleton said Homa had been the director of a legitimate wedding company when Marrogi persuaded her to accept $100,000 in cash. 

'This is a blemish in the context of a hostile relationship,' he said. 

'Ms Homa was in the relationship. She was one of several who agreed to such relationships. She was instilled as a director ... and it was for the most part being used to book cars for weddings.'

Mr Gumbleton suggested Marrogi knew exactly what he was after upon gaining Homa's trust. 

'She was used, abused and discarded,' he said. 

Homa's plea came after the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions agreed to withdraw a more serious charge and allowed her to be sentenced in the magistrates' court where the maximum penalty she faced was one year in jail instead of three. 

Mr Gumbleton said Marrogi made Homa put her name to a $3million property, which when sold she was forced to hand over and pay the tax office capital gains tax out of her own pocket. 

The court heard the jailed Marrogi made further demands for cash from Homa. 

Marrogi was sentenced last year in the Supreme Court of Victoria to a total of 32 years in jail over the cold blooded public execution of a drug rival. 

More than a dozen people were arrested over Marrogi's money laundering scheme through a police operation codenamed 'Steelers'. 

Marrogi's brother Jesse Marrogi is set to appear in court on Thursday over his alleged involvement in the crime. 

It is understood police were able to make the arrests after Mannella used a 'hot' phone during jailhouse calls to Marrogi inside. 

The court heard it had been Mannella who acted as the go-between between Marrogi and Homa for her part in the money operation. 

Like Homa, Mannella had lived a faultless life before hooking-up with Marrogi and had previously handed out food to the homeless on Melbourne's streets for a charity established in memory of Marrogi's sister Meshilin, who died from complications related to Covid-19. 

The County Court of Victoria heard in January that Mannella had been the best friend of Marrogi's dead sister when she inexplicably hooked-up with the jailbird. 

She was busted while attempting to move 800 litres of the drug Butanediol from South Australia to Victoria. 

The $50 million plan had hinged on a brazen scheme that saw Mannella pose as Marrogi's lawyer. 

While all prisoner phone calls are monitored and recorded by Corrections Victoria, the pair banked on a well known exemption that allows unmonitored calls with legal personal, which are regarded as privileged. 

In circumstances that were not explained, the court heard a phone used by a real lawyer representing Marrogi diverted to Mannella whenever the crook rang it. 

Mannella would answer the phone by impersonating 'Cassidy' in a poor attempt to throw off prison snoops.  

The pair would then speak in code as they went about organising the movement of four 200-litre drums of Butanediol - the key ingredient in gamma hydroxybutyrate, or GHB.

The court heard Marrogi was able to convince a man who owed him cash to organise the shipment, which revolved around a 71-year old truck driver driving the drums across the border into Melbourne. 

The elderly driver was picked-up by police as he drove into Horsham in Victoria's west. 

The mission had been doomed from the start. 

The court heard Australian Federal Police had Mannella's phone tapped and had listened to every conversation she had with the crime boss. 

Homa will be sentenced on Wednesday.