Former Australian prop Richard Villasanti has made a shock revelation, exposing an operation over 20 years ago.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, he admitted he was the target of a Scotland Yard sting operation during the Kangaroos’ 2003 tour of Great Britain, as authorities sought to identify the culprit behind a $5000 theft from team hotel rooms in Leeds.
Villasanti said police allegedly installed hidden cameras in his hotel room in an attempt to catch him out, but no evidence was ever found linking him to the incident.
“There was a Scotland Yard detective who placed cameras in my room to try and set me up with bait,” Villasanti told the Daily Telegraph.
“He told me on the way to the airport that I was in a set-up sting that I didn’t know about.”
The Australian Rugby League investigated the missing cash but was unable to identify a suspect.
Villasanti, who played one Test for Australia on that tour, has consistently denied the allegations for more than two decades.
Now 45, the former Warriors and Sharks forward insists he’s long moved on.
“I couldn’t give two f…s what people say, and you can print that,” he said.
“It was 22 years ago, any publicity is good publicity.”
Despite the controversy, Villasanti said he still values his Kangaroos memories and remains grateful for the experience.
“Why would I get angry? We all know the truth but we just can’t say anything, that’s all,” he said.
A veteran of 116 NRL games across stints with Balmain, Wests Tigers, New Zealand Warriors and Cronulla, Villasanti helped lead the Warriors to the 2002 Grand Final, and was remembered for his heavy collision with Roosters captain Brad Fittler.
These days, he runs a plumbing business in Canberra and assists with junior rugby league coaching.