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TWO Harcourt men who allegedly took part in a fake charity stalls scam have faced court in Bendigo for the first time.
Luke Sean Riddick, 31, and Bradley Maxwell Millick, 41, appeared at a filing hearing in the Bendigo Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Their co-accused and alleged ringleader Christopher Ellingburg, 49, was also present in court to adjust his bail conditions.
Riddick, Millick and Ellingburg are accused of operating fake charity stalls at supermarkets in Bendigo and across Victoria using images of terminally ill children.
They were arrested in a police raid on their Harcourt address last week.
The three men have been charged with defrauding people using a charity called Grace Christian Centres of Australia, dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage, falsely representing to be part of a legitimate organisation and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
They were also charged with theft for allegedly stealing $10,000 worth of furniture, appliances and kitchen utensils from a house they were renting on Condon Street, Kennington.
The three were charged with causing a further $10,000 damage to the house.
They have since relocated to Harcourt, where police allegedly found the stolen items during their arrest.
Last week, the court heard Millick allegedly has four aliases, and Riddick one. Ellingburg is accused of operating under 18 different aliases and has changed his name 10 times.
Police say they earned more than $100,000 from the charity stalls, and have previously operated in Tasmania and New South Wales.
The three will remain on bail to appear in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on August 30.