Former financial adviser Marion Joan Pearson has appeared in the Perth Magistrates’ Court for the alleged misappropriation of $4.1m belonging to 13 clients.
Pearson was extradited from New Zealand by Australian authorities after several years of appeals against her extradition. New Zealand’s Supreme Court ruled against Pearson’s final appeal in May.
She appeared before the Magistrates Court on 21 August in relation to 136 counts of stealing that is alleged to have been committed between 6 January 2009 and 25 October 2013.
Pearson, who faces a maximum 10 year jail term for each offence if found guilty, has been remanded in custody until the next court date at Stirling Gardens Magistrates’ Court on 1 October 2025.
The matter is being prosecuted by the Director of Public Prosecutions following an investigation and referral by ASIC.
In July 2014, soon after the start of ASIC’s investigation, Pearson returned to New Zealand where she remained until her extradition.
Riskinfo first reported on Pearson in November 2015, stating her authorised representative status had been pulled by her licensee and that she was permanently banned by ASIC. An arrest warrant was issued for Pearson in December 2018.
Click here to see our earlier report.
