Recruiter faces fresh fraud charges

A man who ran a legal recruitment agency in Canberra and on the Gold Coast will face court on fraud charges.

Luke Hemmings, the director behind Whitefox Recruitment, will appear before a Gold Coast Magistrates Court later this month on three fraud offences for allegedly dishonestly inducing delivery of property worth $100,000, the Gold Coast Bulletin first reported.

Police arrested Hemmings after a search of the recruitment firm.

In 2021, Hemmings’ Canberra-based recruitment firm, Coceptive Recruitment – trading under Whitefox Recruitment – entered liquidation and owed creditors $760,000.

A few years prior, Lambert Group, also trading under the Whitefox name, was reportedly wound up by a court over a $170,000 debt.

Whitefox Recruitment was then moved to the Gold Coast.

According to Hemmings’ profile on the company’s website, he “set his sights on relocating the business” to the Gold Coast when it was first founded because of the “enormous growth potential”.

The company added it “prides” itself on the “reputation we’ve built in helping law firms and businesses fill their skills gap”.

It is understood the charges are not linked to the firm.

Hemmings has had a checkered history, with reports suggesting he used pictures with well-known Australian media personalities to boost his profile in a paid article about himself.

Those same personalities claimed not to know him.

In 2015, amid outrage over money allegedly owed to celebrities, Hemmings informed media of his death. He denied sending the email.

Hemmings has also been known by numerous different aliases, including Dene Broadbent, Harrison Eyles, and Dene Mussillon.

On his company profile, he added his journey at Whitefox Recruitment was a “testament to his passion for people, his innovative leadership, and his unwavering pursuit of excellence”.