The numbers seem small, but for the conspirators behind Parramatta's membership tampering scheme, the prize – control of one of Sydney's biggest leagues clubs and, in turn, an NRL team – was anything but.
In all, 186 memberships were either fraudulently set up or altered with in the weeks before last year's club elections, with those people permitted to vote when they should not have been.
Parramatta might have tens of thousands of fans, but a glance at the final tally from May 11 last year – when members turned up to Parramatta Leagues Club to vote for a new board of directors – shows just how slim the margins tend to be. Steve Sharp, who would be elected chairman, won 794 votes, followed by other candidates Lawrence Shepherd (790), Peter Serrao (731), Robert Sassen (715) and Tom Issa (711).
Roy Spagnolo, who had run the Eels since sweeping to power in 2009, polled 647 votes, not quite enough to retain the chairmanship or a spot on the new board.
Yet, if allegations of links to the tampering of memberships in the lead-up to the election are proven by police or the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing, it was not through a lack of trying.
And the funny thing about the whole affair is that those who stitched up this attempted rort from inside an office in the Leagues Club nearly got away with it.
What they did not realise, however, was that every entry they made on the club's membership software program, backdating dozens of memberships and making up others, was being recorded on a back-up system.
The automatic copying went down to each keystroke, making life much easier for the investigators who combed through the Eels' records. The dodgy photographs on the membership cards, some of them duplicates, others on backgrounds that showed they clearly hadn't been taken at the club's front desk, didn't do them any favours either.
The first suspicions were raised at this year's annual general meeting in May, when a range of the present board's resolutions were shouted and voted down. Reception staff noticed a large number of unfamiliar members not seen before at the club and appearing to attend the AGM. There were also a significant number of requests made by those people to reception, saying they'd lost their membership cards and asking to have new ones printed.
What has followed is an exhaustive internal inquiry, which continues to be followed up by NSW police and the industry regulator.
The tampering left the Eels out of pocket – most of the fake memberships were issued free of charge, ranging in value up to $125 – and the consequences for those behind it could be serious.
Spagnolo, of course, did not win the election.
The question, then, is why Parramatta fans – and the NRL – should care about this sordid tale.
Well, Spagnolo remains a figure of influence and agitation in Eels territory, remaining as chairman of the Parramatta District Rugby League Club, which under Parramatta's constitution still can nominate up to three directors onto the NRL and Leagues Club boards. It does not give him enough power to run the joint, but provides him with enough ammunition to cause plenty of disruption.
And aside from the Leagues Club tampering claims, there are also questions about the legitimacy of some memberships issued in the lead-up to the PDRL election in December 2012, where Spagnolo was re-elected chairman.
A report commissioned by Parramatta and compiled by the firm Russell Corporate Advisory last year claimed that 78 memberships, 13 to people in the Spagnolo family, were issued free of charge ahead of the last poll.
The NSWRL, via the ARL Commission, technically has jurisdiction over the PDRL. Dave Smith, the ARLC chief executive, is on a crusade for governance reform in the game. Many at Parramatta believe the first thing he should do is zero in there.
Replies
Roy Spagnolo is the greatest disgrace to our club since 1947, his supporters, family and friends that had their memberships backdated, and all his supporters and fools that voted for him are also a disgrace to the club and should walk away.
I want to know who these pricks are
Cannot imagine how anyone could run any business or the leagues club when this membership tampering was so incompetent & done by absolute amateurs with no knowledge of the internal systems.
Jail them all - hope the olg gets all through this and makes a stand for the prosecution of real corruption in their sphere of influence!
I hope the full force of the law comes down on Spagnola and his cronies. He very nearly destroyed our club, I hope he pays the price for his total disregard and disrespect for our club and it's supporters. It is pretty obvious that he only had his and his mates best interests at heart. I am so angry at this whole affair, more so because we could have lost Parra as a club if he had continued.
I'm looking forward to the day that I can vote on changing our constitution so that this will never happen again.
Spagnola, you are a power hungry, egotistical bastard that has no consideration for anyone but yourself and mates. I only wish that they could put you behind bars and throw away the key.
Thank goodness we still have a great club to follow, no thanks to you....
Go Parra!
I've nothing further to add. This article says it all.
Then why did you add this ^ ^ ^ ^ ?
If proven then I wonder if they will be charged with "Conspiracy to defraud" or perhaps"Accessory to......" or something similar.
LOL - good one Mutty.
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