A jewellery store employee was called to work on the day of a planned robbery to help facilitate a $2.8 million insurance claim, according to prosecutors in a NSW District Court trial. The robbery occurred during the night in January 2023 at Germani Jewellers, located in Sydney’s Hilton Hotel. Store owner Michel Germani, 67, was facing over $184,000 in rent arrears and allegedly devised the scheme as a way to recoup his losses before the store’s potential closure.
During the trial, prosecutors described how Germani needed a “real victim” to ensure the robbery appeared convincing to both the police and the insurance company. Mounir Helou, 59, and Andrea David Cusumano, also 59, are on trial alongside Germani, charged with involvement in the staged robbery. Helou is accused of being one of the robbers who tied up Germani and shop assistant Lana Al-Khoury during the incident. Remarkably, Al-Khoury had not been scheduled to work that night but was called in by Germani.
Prosecutor Cate Dodds urged the jury to dismiss defence claims that Al-Khoury was complicit in the plot. She detailed how Germani instructed the robbers to tie her up to fabricate the scenario as a legitimate robbery. Al-Khoury’s distress was corroborated by security and police officers who responded immediately after the robbery, adding weight to her testimony.
Dodds defended Al-Khoury’s character against suggestions that she fabricated her emotional trauma for workers’ compensation. Her fear of job loss, witnessed by her behaviour during and after the robbery, was presented as genuine and compelling. The court learned that Germani’s eventual insurance claim for 164 pieces of jewellery claimed as “stolen” was denied.
Germani has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated robbery and unlawful detention relating to Al-Khoury, while admitting to staging the robbery for financial gain and for providing misleading statements to the authorities. Helou also admitted to staging the event but denies the aggravated robbery charges concerning Al-Khoury. Both men are accused of using corporal violence against the shop assistant. Cusumano has pleaded not guilty to the staged robbery charge.
The complexity of the case unfolds as it explores themes of desperation, deceit, and the impact of financial struggles on ethical behaviour. The trial continues as the jury deliberates on the respective roles of the accused in this intriguing scenario.