Billionaire Judith Neilson’s former secretary hit with new fraud charges

The former secretary of billionaire philanthropist Judith Neilson has been hit with fresh charges after allegedly using her boss’ credit card to purchase a range of lavish items. Annalouise Spence is accused of misappropriating $1.6m using a business credit card. The 51-year-old is now facing a total of 140 charges after she was hit with 12 new counts of dishonestly obtaining property by deception on Thursday. Ms Neilson, the ex-wife of billionaire investment manager Kerr Neilson, owns two galleries in Sydney and supports vulnerable communities in Australia and Africa through the Judith Neilson Foundation. She was also appointed as an Order of Australia member in 2016 and received an honorary doctorate from the University of New South Wales for her commitment to contemporary art. Ms Spence’s high-profile lawyer, Bryan Wrench, found out about the fresh charges in court on Thursday and said he had not yet received evidence regarding his client’s alleged offending. “This has been around since the 23rd of April 2026 and we haven’t received one piece of the brief of evidence yet,” Mr Wrench said. “That’s not very bad, frankly, (with) the list I’ve been dealing with today,” Magistrate Clare Farnan replied. Ms Spence spent about two months behind bars on remand before she was granted bail after fronting a $1m surety. Speaking about his client’s bail conditions, Mr Wrench made a comment about Ms Neilson’s philanthropic work and how she is a major donor for an organisation that aims to keep women out of prison. Ms Spence worked for Ms Neilson for several years until 2025, with police alleging she used a business credit card between December 2019 and November 2024 for a range of purchases including “luxury and personal items”. The alleged unauthorised card use also included a trip to Seattle valued at $29,118 with tickets to see The Cure and first class flights. She spent two months at Dillwynia Correctional Centre near Windsor, a maximum security facility for female offenders, before being released on strict conditional bail on June 18. Ms Spence’s bail conditions also included that she be taken straight from custody to a mental health facility in Sydney’s eastern suburbs for treatment. Mr Wrench on Thursday said she would likely remain there for the “foreseeable future” and asked that she be excused from attending when the matter returns to court again on August 27.