Police have charged three men with attempting to extort millions of dollars from a Melbourne construction company under the guise of acting as mediators.
Investigators allege the men falsely claimed to have acted as mediators between the company and union officials, claiming to have prevented disruptions at the company’s building sites.
Victoria Police said the company was sent an invoice for $6.6 million and allegedly extorted.
Police raided three properties across Melbourne on Thursday and arrested a 51-year-old Melbourne man, a 45-year-old Southbank man and a 45-year-old Hillside man.
A 45-year-old Southbank man faces charges relating to an alleged $6.6 million extortion. (Supplied: Victoria Police)
They have all been charged with extortion and also face charges of refusing to comply with a data access order by not providing police with a passcode.
The Southbank man was also charged with attempting to obtain property by deception.
The men will face court on October 28.
The arrests were carried out by Taskforce Hawk, which was established in 2024 to target criminal behaviour in the construction sector.
Police arrested a 45-year-old Hillside man over alleged extortion in the construction sector. (Supplied: Victoria Police)
Victoria Police said the taskforce was set up in response to a number of fresh allegations of serious and violent criminal behaviour in the sector.
Taskforce Hawk also targets individuals in the construction sector with known links to outlaw motorcycle gangs.