The husband of conwoman Melissa Caddick has laid claim to a number of items seized from their house before her disappearance.
The husband of missing conwoman Melissa Caddick is laying claim to a slew of property seized from their Sydney home by investigators including designer jewellery, her art collection and wedding dress, court documents reveal.
In a statement filed by Anthony Koletti in the Federal Court, the hairdresser is seeking orders that he be given a number of items worth hundreds of thousands of dollars which were seized after their Dover Heights home was raided by ASIC and Australian Federal Police.
The corporate watchdog says that Caddick misappropriated investor money via a Ponzi scheme to fund her lavish lifestyle, with investigators seizing luxury items including jewellery, watches, designer clothing, accessories and shoes.
The matter is set to return to court next month with liquidators seeking to sell off her Dover Heights home – which Koletti claims is valued at up to $17 million – as well as a $2.5 million Edgecliff penthouse bought for her parents in 2016.
Mr Koletti is claiming he is owed part of the proceeds from the sale of the Dover Heights home as well as other items because he contributed to the purchase of some of them during their marriage.
He is also objecting to an application by the liquidators to allow them to access the Dover Heights property.
According to a receivers’ report, Caddick fleeced $29.4 million from investors, with over $7.3 worth of property recovered, leaving a shortfall of $23 million.
In his statement, Mr Koletti claims he is entitled to a share of the money which will come from the sale of their Dover Heights home, $2 million worth of jewelery and clothes, shares worth $7 million, as well as $360,000 worth of cars which have previously been auctioned off.
He is seeking orders that he be delivered a number of items for his “exclusive use” including Caddick’s Gucci Wedding Dress, an 18 carrot gold skull pendant and five paintings by Australian artist John Olsen.
In all, he is seeking $91,000 worth of jewelery including a $33,000 Canturi diamond ring, gold cufflinks and his wedding band, as well as a digital Louis Vuitton watch and $3000 in cash.
Caddick, 49, disappeared from her Dover Heights home a day after it was raided in November 2020.
Her foot washed up on the NSW South Coast – 400km from where she was last seen – three months later.
An inquest later this year will examine the circumstances surrounding her death.
Mr Koletti was married to Caddick from late 2013 until her death.
He said that he previously earned $70,000 per year as a hairdresser but has been unable to obtain employment since 2020 “due to the allegations related to his wife”.
When he met Caddick, he claims he had $100,000 in assets including $70,000 cash.
He says that the Dover Heights property was purchased using some of the proceeds from the sale of a Kensington property for $1.6 million in December, 2013.
He said that during their marriage, he deposited most of his money into her account, which she used to meet their family expenses.
“Due to the extensive media coverage relating to (her) disappearance, the time taken by legal proceedings and Mr Koletti’s grief, he has not been able to secure gainful employment in his usual trade other than casual hairdressing services and some income from his music, he said.
Originally published as Why Melissa Caddick’s husband wants her wedding dress
