Anthony Koletti, the widower of notorious Australian fraudster Melissa Caddick, has been charged with assaulting an elderly woman in a park near the site of his late wife’s disappearance.
The incident, which allegedly occurred on Wednesday, 23 July 2025, at Lighthouse Reserve in Vaucluse, has thrust Koletti back into the public eye. New South Wales Police reported that a 73-year-old woman claimed she was assaulted by a man at approximately 5:00 pm.
The woman did not require medical attention. Following a public appeal for information, which included the release of an image showing a man wearing a black Under Armour t-shirt, black cap, and sunglasses, Koletti turned himself in at Waverley Police Station on 30 July 2025. The 43-year-old was charged with common assault and granted conditional bail. He is scheduled to appear at the Downing Centre Local Court on 5 September 2025.
Koletti, a part-time DJ and hairdresser, declined to comment when approached by reporters at his workplace, a Rose Bay hair salon, prior to his arrest. The alleged assault took place in Sydney’s affluent eastern suburbs, an area closely associated with Caddick’s high-profile disappearance in November 2020.
Melissa Caddick vanished from her Dover Heights home shortly after it was raided by the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) on 12 November 2020. The raid was part of an investigation into a Ponzi scheme through which Caddick defrauded investors, including friends and family, of between $20 million and $30 million
Her severed foot was discovered three months later on a remote beach on the NSW South Coast, approximately 400 kilometres from Sydney. A 2023 coronial inquest confirmed Caddick’s death but could not determine the cause, time, or location of her passing. Deputy State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan noted it was “most unlikely” the foot was deliberately severed.
Koletti has never faced charges related to Caddick’s criminal activities or her disappearance. However, his connection to one of Australia’s most infamous financial scandals has kept him under public scrutiny.
Caddick, a Sydney-based financial planner, was known for her polished image and lavish lifestyle, which she funded by deceiving investors with falsified statements promising lucrative returns.
The assault charge marks a new chapter in Koletti’s controversial public profile, reigniting interest in the unresolved questions surrounding Caddick’s life and death.
As the court date approaches, the case is likely to draw significant attention, given its ties to one of Australia’s most notorious fraud cases.
