Entrepreneur Renato ‘Rennie’ De Maria is more accustomed to private jets, high-performance sports cars and regular holidays on the Italian Riviera, after founding an insurance empire 25 years ago.
But the 54-year-old, who is currently under investigation by the corporate regulator, appeared in Mansfield court last week where he pleaded guilty to circulating an intimate image of his ex-wife in which he described it as an act of “pure folly.”
A magistrate convicted businessman Renato ‘Rennie’ De Maria on two charges related to posting an intimate image of his ex-wife and failing to comply with an order to intervene in domestic violence.
De Maria admitted to creating a WhatsApp group called ‘Good Luck’ on May 11, 2021, before including at least five friends of his ex-wife. He then shared 34 images with the group, including private correspondence between the couple and an intimate photo of his ex-wife, without her consent.
During an interview with Mansfield police officers on May 20 last year, De Maria said he had been drinking heavily at the time of the incident and had taken prescription drugs.
Kretser’s lawyer Rahmin, acting for De Maria, urged Magistrate Peter Mithen to save his client a sentence because it could prevent him from traveling to the United States, where he has business interests.
De Kretser also said that De Maria was a proud father and a successful businessman, who had raised millions of dollars for charity.
A testimonial impact statement from De Maria’s ex-wife, which was read in court, said she was suffering from “stress, anxiety and depression, and I have a constant feeling of discomfort at how degraded she was.”
He moved after the incident.
Mithen convicted De Maria of two charges related to posting the image and failing to comply with an order to intervene in domestic violence. Maria received a $ 1,500 fine.