Late last year, Adam Paul Hemsley, 36, of Castlemaine, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception and two counts of obtaining property by deception.

He returned to the Melbourne County Court and appeared before Judge Michael Bourke earlier this week for a plea hearing.

Hemsley, whom police describe as an extremely convincing person, is accused of obtaining a $186,000 mortgage by deception and writing cheques for hundreds of thousands of dollars that later bounced.

He also lied about owning a Castlemaine pizza and pasta restaurant and placed advertisements in local and metropolitan papers seeking investors.

Hemsley has an extensive criminal history dating back about a decade.

In 2003, he was convicted in the Geelong County Court on 22 counts of deception and one count of criminal damage.

Those charges stemmed from a florist business Hemsley established in Geelong in 1996.

While being investigated on those matters, Hemsley went to the United States, where the offending continued.

After being charged with grand larceny, he was deported to Australia in April 2003, convicted and jailed for his involvement in the florist business.

The grand larceny charge was later reduced to petty larceny.

After hearing evidence earlier this week, Judge Bourke adjourned the case for sentencing.

Hemsley is due to return to court at a date to be fixed after Easter.