Broadbelt labelled “con-artist”

TERRITORIANS are being warned to steer clear of an electro music festival to be held in Darwin amid claims the festival director is a con man who has left a trail of unpaid bills in his wake and is being investigated by police.

The Infinity Music Festival is set to launch at Darwin Amphitheatre on October 11.

The announcement comes after the festival was cancelled in several interstate regional towns including Dubbo, Wellington and Narromine in NSW when councils were warned against dealing with the organiser Dene Mussillon.

Mr Mussillon — who also goes by the last names Broadbelt and Morgan — told the NT News he “would have been arrested by now” if he had done anything wrong.

Mr Mussillon, 21, has “tentatively” booked the Darwin Amphitheatre to hold two stages, thousands of revellers and more than 18 artists for the first leg of the tour.

He has advertised “yet-to-be-announced” dates to follow the Top End gig in Canberra, Airlie Beach, Coffs Harbour and Wagga Wagga.

The Infinity Music Festival website features artists MARLO, Samual James, Ivan Gough and Vandalism as some of the acts set to perform at the festival.

But the artists’ agent Duane Buriani-Gennai said he decided to pull the four acts several weeks ago because he “didn’t feel comfortable” with the event after researching it.

Tickets are already being sold for $51.62 and $107.87 on the festival’s website despite a deposit not yet being paid or contracts signed by Mr Mussillon to secure the booking with Darwin Council.

Darwin Council chief executive Brendan Dowd said standard procedures were being followed in relation to the booking.

Narromine mayor Bill McAnally said he was approached late last year by Mr Mussillon to discuss holding the first festival. Mr McAnally said further discussions were abandoned when “police rang (him) chasing (Mr Mussillon) on fraud charges”.

“He disappeared and we haven’t heard from him since,” he said.

Wellington Council general manager Michael Tolhurst said he decided not to get involved with the festival after “receiving some calls and doing some research”.

Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson said Mr Mussillon approached the council about the event but “didn’t want to pay a deposit or sign any contracts”.

The festival was then moved to Darwin, prompting several of Mr Mussillon’s past business associates to warn Territorians against dealing with him.

Some of them have joined a private Facebook page created for “victims” of Mr Mussillon.

It has about 100 members.

Ulladulla Web Design owner Scott Richardson said he was contacted by Mr Mussillon to create posters and online flyers for the Infinity Music Festival in December last year.

He said Mr Mussillon never paid him the $2000 for his work.

“We require a 50 per cent deposit upfront, which he sent us a receipt for, but it proved to be dodgy as the money never hit our account,” he said.

“Once he realised we had caught on to him, he jumped ship,” Mr Richardson said.

Mr Richardson said he reported the incident to police at the time but had not heard from them since.

Genevieve Flanders said she was employed by Mr Mussillon to work for $41 per hour as a tour manager for the Infinity Music Festival.

She quit her waitressing job to take on the role but said Mr Mussillon “shut (her) out” when she Googled his name and questioned him over what she found.

“There was lots of stuff about him being a fraud,” she said.

Eagle Embroidery business owner Roy Day said Mr Mussillon owes him more than $2000 for unpaid services.

Mr Day, based in Bega NSW, said Mr Mussillon made two separate orders to embroider “photographer” and “crew” on to work uniforms for the Infinity Music Festival and post them to a Bateman’s Bay address.

“Every time I sent an (invoice by) email he said ‘I’ll send to accounts department and have them fix it’ ,” Mr Day said.

“It’s now with debt collectors.”

Mr Broadbelt registered four new business names between August 13 2013 and January 16 this year; Aquaholic Photography Australia, Colemans Studios and VA Entertainment Australia and Infinity Music Festival.

NSW Skip Productions owner Noel Sadler said that Mr Mussillon contacted him as Dene Broadbelt and commissioned him to make an advertisement for Aquaholic Photography late last year.

“He ripped me off and didn’t pay up,” Mr Sadler said.

“I’ve sent a letter to the Darwin mayor to warn (her) about making any deals with Dene but I haven’t heard back.”

Burswood Car Rentals owner Morrison Todd said Mr Mussillon owes him about $4000 for damaging a hired vehicle and unpaid bills.

“We had a credit card (when Mr Mussillon made the booking) but it stopped working after about one week,” he said.

It is understood Mr Mussillon owes at least $2000 in unpaid motel accounts, including at the Quality Inn Ambassador Orange.

Mr Mussillon was also at the centre of a dispute between unpaid performers at the Eagle FM Mini Day Event and Goulburn Radio in March 2013.

NSW Police confirmed that the “matters” relating to Mr Mussillon were the subject of “an ongoing investigation”.

“As that inquiry is ongoing, no further comment can be made,” a police statement said.

Mr Mussillon told the NT News he also had “no further comment to make”.