A man who forged the will of a deceased man, making himself the sole beneficiary of all his property, has been sentenced to a maximum 22 months in jail in Dubbo District Court.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Jason Glenn Silvestro (previously known as Jason Glenn Parsons) pleaded guilty in November to five counts of making a false instrument to obtain property, two counts of hindering an investigation into a serious indictable offence and one count of stealing a motor vehicle.
In October 2011, Mudgee detectives began investigating the legitimacy of two wills submitted to local solicitors in relation to a recently deceased Hargraves man.
The first will was rejected as it was only signed by one witness who was too close to the beneficiary, Silvestro, so a second will was produced with the signatures of two more witnesses.
Expert analysis revealed that the deceased man's signature was forged.
The witnesses later told detectives that they had never met the man and had signed the will on Silvestro's request.
Silvestro stood to gain everything the man owned, including his house, property, and share in a mining company based in the area.
It was understood that he was little more than an acquaintance of the deceased.
During the investigation police seized computers and storage devices and analysis indicated that there were forged wills and other documents aimed at illegally obtaining the deceased's property.
Examinations also found the Google searches "how to make a will in Australia" and "is a will valid with one witness".
Investigators also found the signature of the deceased man on the RTA registration transfer of his vehicle was forged.
The hard document of the will was created three days after the death of the man.
In Dubbo District Court on Thursday, Silvestro was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 22 months, with a non-parole period of 12 months, on three of the five charges of making a false document to obtain property.
On the two remaining charges of making a false document to obtain property, he was sentenced to five months in prison.
On the charges of hindering an investigation into a serious indictable offence, he was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, with a non parole period of seven months.
The sentences are to be served concurrently.
Mudgee police are also investigating the destruction of the deceased man's house by fire in 2011.
