When 48-year-old Brenda Kelly Boulter told Australian police she was scammed while in Europe by a Sydney man who claimed he was an ASIO officer on the run from the CIA, the fraud investigator was sceptical.
"It initially sounded like a John Grisham novel," the senior officer said. But he soon discovered many of Ms Boulter's claims were substantiated.
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Ms Boulter, from Albany, WA, said she was trapped in an elaborate scam by the serial fraudster, 58-year-old Goran Markovic, from Bankstown, while travelling in Europe in 2014.
Mr Markovic had already been convicted in three states and the ACT of more than 90 crimes including fraudulent appropriation, forgery, impersonation, financial advantage by deception, and obtaining property by deception.
In 1998, Victoria's county court Judge Warren Fagan sentenced Mr Markovic, also known as Marcovic, to five years in prison for 13 counts of fraud and deception in Victoria.
Mr Markovic's victims included his doctor, his friends, and even the man who installed his heating system. Many were of modest means, said Judge Fagan.
"Few were safe from you," the judge said in the sentencing report.
NSW Police on Friday confirmed they were now actively pursuing Mr Markovic – who arrived back in Australia last week. He is wanted for four outstanding warrants for separate cases of alleged fraud and deception dating back to 2003. One of these warrants relates to 26 offences.
![Kelly Boulter alleges she was held against her will in Europe by an Australian scammer who has served time for fraud in ...](/web/20161211022901im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/7/q/u/i/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gt7dgj.png/1481394821339.jpg)
Ms Boulter, known as Kelly, claimed that Mr Markovic stole $120,000 from her and mentally abused her while they travelled from April to November 2014.
When they first met in Florence, Italy, Mr Markovic claimed he had lost his passport and needed money to send to his family.
![Goran Markovic (left) is wanted by NSW Police for four cases of alleged fraud.](/web/20161211022901im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/7/q/u/b/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gt7dgj.png/1481394821339.jpg)
To build trust, experts say Mr Markovic groomed Ms Boulter by arranging to send small amounts of money to her account.
"He claimed to be a devoted partner and family man," said Ms Boulter, a nurse who is now recovering from post traumatic distress disorder caused by the scam.
![Goran Markovic in a photo taken by Kelly Boulter.](/web/20161211022901im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/7/q/u/c/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gt7dgj.png/1481394821339.jpg)
Mr Markovic kept her in a constant state of fear, and gradually assumed the role of her protector as they went on the run across Europe to evade capture by fictional spies.
He claimed to have been working for the Australian government pursuing criminals. He showed her a bloody shirt, allegedly related to the murder of an American oil executive, and a faked news report about the crime.
![Goran Markvoic in Venice in April 2014.](/web/20161211022901im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/7/q/u/e/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gt7dgj.png/1481394821339.jpg)
At other times, he claimed that the CIA was chasing him, forcing the couple to move nightly from hotel to hotel to evade capture, and to use her credit card to avoid detection.
"He wanted [me] to think we were fugitives on the run," she said. Mr Markovic allegedly used fake passports, names and credit cards.
![Goran Markovic in Florence while on a road trip with his alleged scam victim, Kelly Boulter.](/web/20161211022901im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/7/q/u/d/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gt7dgj.png/1481394821339.jpg)
"He claimed to be an interpol investigator, who worked on and off for ASIO," said Ms Boulter.
Ms Boulter has lodged complaints against him with the Australian Federal Police, alleging he used fake passports, and filed reports with police in Italy, the Netherlands and Germany. But because the scam was perpetrated in Europe, it has been difficult for Australian police to pursue.
To prove his credentials, Mr Markovic showed her a bank account with millions of dollars, which she later realised was fake.
"I felt quite safe with him, as strange as that sounds. He was very committed to putting criminals away, and I now when I look back, he was the opposite of what he was portraying."
When contacted by Fairfax on Friday, Mr Markovic initially refused to comment on the NSW warrants, claiming he had been threatened by a NSW police officer with a personal vendetta.
"As far as the nsw matters I have been advised nof [sic] to discuss them after a death threat from a phone number registered to a serving NSW Police detective which I luckily recorded."
NSW Police denied an officer had threatened Mr Markovic. A spokesman said a senior officer had been "passionate about bringing (Markovic) to justice" and had tracked his movements across Europe for the past 10 years.
Mr Markovic had often taunted police by falsely claiming he was back in Australia, and promising to turn himself in. In a "catch-me if you can" taunt, Mr Markovic even sent the policeman a Christmas card.
Mr Markovic said the "so-called fraud matters" related to four cheques, which were not honoured, totalling approx $45k to purchase cars for resale. The cars were returned, he claimed.
The Victorian convictions by Judge Fagan also related to a scheme to resell cars.
When contacted last year for comment on Ms Boulter's allegations, he dismissed them as a load of rubbish.
"I have never stolen anything from her or used her credit card without permission," he said at the time.
Ms Boulter has made contact with other victims of Mr Markovic, including retired couple Patricia and Richard Derrick in France.
They told Fairfax by email that Mr Markovic borrowed nearly €4000 from them over a six-month period after he came to live with them on a scheme where he offered his skills as a handyman and mechanic in exchange for room and board.
When he arrived he asked for a loan, claiming that his luggage and passport had been stolen. He promised the Derricks he would return the money but attributed one of many delays to the sudden death of his mother. They contacted the police about Mr Markovic's receipt of a fake driver's licence, which led to him being detained and then deported from France for allegedly overstaying his visa.
On Friday Mr Markovic told Fairfax he had returned to Australia because his mother was ill and his life was very messy and complicated because of the rumours Ms Boulter was spreading about him.
He believed the outstanding warrants against him – issued by a judge in Sydney when he failed to appear in court – had been dropped.
A NSW Police spokesman urged Mr Markovic to contact police to assist with a number of "very serious allegations".