Justin Luke Yianakis was formally refused bail in Tamworth Local Court on Thursday afternoon as the defence gathered more documents to help his release bid.

The 40-year-old is accused of 29 fraud and dishonesty offences involving betting giants CrownBet and Ladbrokes, as well Macquarie Telecom and the National Australia Bank.

His solicitor told Tamworth Local Court on Thursday morning they had engaged a barrister in the case for their client, who had appeared in district court this week on unrelated matters.

“These are fresh local court matters,” police prosecutor Sergeant Alix Thom told the court.

“The defendant is subject to district court bail.”

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Magistrate Julie Soars stood the case in the list to allow the defence to examine the new charges, before later adjourning the case to Friday to hear the bail bid.

As part of the police case, Yianakis allegedly attempted to defraud a bank of almost $3 million using fraudulent cheques.

He is accused of using a valueless cheque that was false with the intent of obtaining $2,961,912.65 on July 13, 2018, at Gunnedah.

Police allege the frauds date between January 2019 and back to 2017, and were all allegedly committed in Gunnedah.

He’s accused of operating false companies and using multiple identities to obtain funds, telecommunications items and bitcoin for several companies based in NSW, Queensland and Victoria.

It’s the police case that Yianakis then on-sold the fraudulently obtained goods and presented false cheques to gambling companies, when he is alleged to have profited from gambling.

Police then allege he used valueless cheques to buy bitcoin, which he is then accused of on-selling for a profit. 

Yianakis has been at the centre of investigation by detectives from the Orana Mid-Western district.

He was arrested about 1.30pm on Wednesday at Gunnedah Police Station and charged with 16 counts of publishing false misleading material to obtain advantage; seven counts of dealing with identity info to commit indictable offence; three counts of dishonestly obtaining property by deception; two charges of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception; and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.

He was refused bail by police and spent the night in custody, before being formally refused bail in court on Thursday afternoon.