Disgraced Sleuth's Son Rumbled By Regulators

Sun Herald

Sunday March 25, 2007

By Alex Mitchell

SYDNEY'S most colourful private investigator, Frank Monte, has spent a career in strife with the regulators, but now it is the turn of his son, James.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has issued an all-points alert about the activities of his investigations agency, JCCM Pty Ltd, trading as Fairchild Kirby Associates.

ASIC executive director of consumer protection Greg Tanzer said: "According to the information ASIC has received, it appears that the operators of JCCM Pty Ltd have used false names when dealing with prospective clients and requested cash payment prior to commencing work.

"Clients who then seek information regarding the progress of investigations have been either put off or asked to provide additional funds.

"The majority of clients who have spoken to us have chosen to cut their losses and walk away from the situation with little, or nothing, to show for their expenditure."

The Sun-Herald was unable to contact James Monte but his father described the ASIC statement as "outrageous".

"They are trying to suggest that I am running my son's business," Mr Monte said. "They want to suggest we're connected but we're not.

"They are persecuting me. I've got to work because I've got to pay my rent like everybody else."

Mr Monte snr lost everything after he was sued in 2002 by the family of murdered fashion designer Gianni Versace over his autobiography The Spying Game: My Extraordinary Life.

He was bankrupted in 2003 by the $400,000 verdict.

At the end of 2006, Mr Monte, no longer bankrupt, was able to use a technicality to resume his investigations career.

© 2007 Sun Herald

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