THREE Harcourt men allegedly behind a fake charity scheme are moving to the other side of the state, but will still have to face court in Bendigo.
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Christopher Ellingburg, 49, Bradley Millick, 41, and Luke Riddick, 31, appeared in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday charged with a range of fraud offences allegedly committed through their charity Grace Christian Centres of Australia.
They are accused of using images of children with terminal illnesses to promote their charity, but were instead pocketing the proceeds themselves, it is alleged.
Police allege the three men had been setting up stalls at supermarkets and shopping centres across Bendigo since April, 2015. An earlier court hearing was told they allegedly fraudulently gained $146,000.
The court heard the three are planning to move from Harcourt to Bass, near Philip Island, in the coming weeks. They will still need to attend court in Bendigo as their case progresses.
Police are waiting on documents from Westpac Bank to form part of their case. The documents will be examined by a forensic accountant before being forwarded to lawyers representing the three men.
Millick has been allowed to cross-examine two witnesses, but is believed to be close to reaching a resolution, the court was told.
![Christopher Ellingburg. Christopher Ellingburg.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/39DXPJ6bfYBT8JmDyHFbVdB/b4d6d805-ebfd-4626-aa63-2664683c3c60.jpg/r0_19_2176_1392_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
He will attend a contested committal hearing in Bendigo on January 17.
Ellingburg and Riddick will appear in court on October 25. They must continue to report to police daily as part of their bail conditions, and cannot leave the state of Victoria.
The three men were arrested and charged on May 30 after a lengthy investigation by Detective Sergeant Colin Grenfell, of Bendigo police.
During the raid on their Harcourt premises, police seized 19 collection tins, multiple Eftpos machines and other documentation.
The three were also charged with theft for allegedly stealing $10,000 worth of furniture and appliances from a house they were renting in Kennington, and for allegedly causing $10,000 worth of damage to the house.
An earlier court hearing was told Ellingburg allegedly has up to 18 aliases and has changed his name 10 times. He has also faced police investigations in Tasmania and New South Wales.