A judge has issued an arrest warrant for a bikie who stole an imitation gun and sold it for drugs, and blackmailed a Seymour man for $50,000.
Joseph Mazzeo, 55, of Seymour, pleaded guilty in Shepparton County Court on October 23 to charges of blackmail, burglary, theft of a firearm, theft, possessing a firearm while a prohibited person, possessing an imitation firearm while a prohibited person and possessing methamphetamines.
However, he did not show up at court on Friday, November 22, when he was due to be sentenced, and the judge issued a warrant for his arrest.
The charges relate to Mazzeo and another man blackmailing a Seymour man on January 11, 2022, after that man had shown him a photo of a naked underage girl.
Mazzeo told the Seymour man he was “a sergeant at arms with the Hells Angels” as Mazzeo and his accomplice demanded $50,000 to stop them going to the police about the photo.
When the man said he didn’t have $50,000, they demanded he give them $30,000 by the next day, or $50,000 by the end of the week.
In the burglary incident, the court heard Mazzeo, another man and a woman stole what they thought was a handgun, a homemade pen gun and a box of .22 ammunition from the home of a man Mazzeo knew.
Mazzeo then got another woman he knew to arrange the sale of the handgun to some men.
The gun was sold for 28g of methamphetamines, worth about $5000 — which was split between Mazzeo and the co-accused man — and $200 cash.
The court heard at the time of the sale, all those involved believed it was a real handgun, but it was later found to be a gel blaster.
On the last occasion in court, Judge Geoffrey Chettle adjourned the matter because he wanted to receive a report from Community Corrections, including whether Mazzeo was going to be breached on a corrections order he was already on.
Judge Chettle issued an arrest warrant for Mazzeo and ordered that he be brought in front of him when he was picked up by police.