A fashion model dubbed South Sudan’s third most handsome man alive has broken his silence after admitting to stealing credit card information to go on spending sprees at Chemist Warehouse stores across Sydney.
Anei Dut, 27, who has strutted the catwalk for some of the globe’s hottest designers including Camilla and Marc, Jack London, Tommy Hilfiger and Calibre, pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud in Newtown Local Court earlier this month.
He was due to face a sentencing hearing on Tuesday, but the case was adjourned for six weeks after his lawyer asked the judge for more time to approve Dut’s mother’s address before the ruling.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia outside court, the fashionista said he was remorseful and claimed he had already reimbursed the retail giant the stolen funds.
‘I paid them back already,’ he said, jumping into an Uber.
Anei Dut, 27 (pictured), has strutted the catwalk for some of the globe’s hottest designers including Camilla and Marc, Jack London, Tommy Hilfiger and Calibre
Dut (pictured in 2017 at Australian Fashion Week) pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud in Newtown Local Court
‘I have apologised.’
Dut, who moved to Australia in 2003 after fleeing war in South Sudan, stole credit card numbers from 19 people after perusing illegal websites selling their personal information.
Dressed in a black tracksuit and sneakers, Dut appeared pensive and sat with his arms crossed throughout the brief mention.
Before dismissing his case, the judge told the court she supported his legal team’s decision to get the alternative address approved, a move that allows for more sentencing options, such as home detention.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Chemist Warehouse for comment.
Dut is pictured leaving Newtown Local Court on Tuesday, where his sentencing hearing was adjourned for two weeks
In March 2021, Dut scammed the pharmacy chain by visiting several stores and buying bulk items by manually entering the details of the stolen credit cards, the Daily Telegraph reported.
He would later return the goods and request a refund be sent to his personal Westpac account.
Once Chemist Warehouse and customers from financial institutions Caixa, JP Morgan, Capital One and OCBC Bank became aware of the con, an investigation was launched by NSW Police.
Investigators quickly identified Dut on CCTV, and the Sydneysider was arrested.
Earlier this month, police told the court that when they seized his mobile phone, he had a tab open for a website called ‘CCVstore.net’ and items in an online shopping basket.
The marketplace for scammers sells credit card numbers along with their expiry dates and CVV numbers.
Dut was named South Sudan’s third most handsome man alive by an African publication
The court heard that Dut also shared six of the 19 credit card numbers with a third party via text.
Although Dut is a sought-after model, he also has a number of criminal offences to his name.
He was convicted of assault in 2013 and had his license suspended in 2016 and 2020 for drink driving and getting behind the wheel with a suspended license.
Dut is currently serving an intensive corrections order for contravening a domestic restraining order.
Dut, who was modelling for David Jones at major fashion shows before signing with the prestigious Chadwick Models agency when he was a teenager, told the Herald Sun in 2016 that he wanted to inspire other Sudanese-born Australians to believe that ‘anything is possible’.
He will return to Newtown Local Court on August 9 for sentencing over the charges of dealing with identity information to commit an indictable offence.
The fashionista who moved to Australia in 2003 admitted he stole credit card numbers from 19 people after perusing illegal websites selling the personal information