Crook of the Day

Colourful former real estate agent and one-time “Voice of Speedway” Aaron Drever returned to prison on Wednesday after being sentenced to 15 months jail on a raft of charges.

Drever, who once boasted of career sales of $938m and making $1.5m a year as a high-flying west Auckland real estate salesman, was also once prominent as a caller at Western Springs Speedway.

However, his career came crashing down after he received the most censures ever in the history of the Real Estate Agents Authority. Bankruptcy was followed by his 2022 imprisonment on deception, forgery and dishonesty charges.

Drever was only paroled in September 2023, but had parallel charges running throughout his time in jail due a prosecution led by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). The agency confirmed his latest sentence but had no further comment on Wednesday.

The two headline charges of managing or controlling a business while bankrupt related to Drever’s role in his former girlfriend’s chain of Auckland fish and chip shops, the Fish and Chippery. Those charges drew a 15 month sentence.

Stuff