Gold Coast councillor caught in fallout from collapsed charity probe

A vanished raffle car, conflicting public statements and mounting questions over a collapsed charity have placed a Gold Coast councillor at the centre of a growing controversy, writes John Todd.

WE ARE LED to believe it started with a charity founded by Yas Daniel Matbouly, an Egyptian-Australian with an appetite for extravagance, luxury cars, units and overseas travel, but most of all, a love of the high life on the Gold Coast.

But that lifestyle came crashing down when he was arrested and charged with multiple sexual assault offences.

And the charity, operating with a dozen shopfronts under the banner Serving Our People, was placed into liquidation earlier this year.

Matbouly’s charity pitch and feel-good cause attracted A-listers keen to rub shoulders while raising funds for what appeared to be a worthy cause. One of those was a car raffle.

The prize: a shiny new MG hatchback.

But that’s where the feel-good story hits a dead end with two major problems.

First, Gold Coast City Division 6 Councillor Brooke Patterson used a ratepayer-funded credit card to purchase a $350 raffle ticket — a decision she later reversed after public backlash by repaying the amount.

While the repayment may have closed the transaction, the social media storm revealed that the damage to public trust was already done.

And second, the story took a turn. At first, Patterson stated she never received the car. The acting City CEO, in written correspondence responding to a resident, agreed, answering a community advocate: ‘City Administration has never taken possession of the vehicle.’

Then, in a jaw-dropping public video, Patterson stated: “Guess who won the car?” — but donated the car back to the charity.

And then the story twists again.

According to findings attributed to auditors reviewing the charity, no car could be located or identified; no car ever existed, let alone as having ever been awarded and then returned.

Auditors stated the raffle had been conducted multiple times.

A check with the local dealership reportedly found no record of any such vehicle being returned.

So how does a car just up and vanish? And why would Patterson claim she handed it back? Was the car raffle an elaborate hoax? Who was involved and what, if any, was Patterson’s involvement?

Sources familiar with the matter have also alleged a similar scheme involving the raffle of a residential unit — again, with auditors unable to locate an identifiable asset.

So the questions become unavoidable: What was Patterson’s involvement in this? Why did she state publicly she would “do the right thing” and hand back a car that never existed?

If you are bewildered, you are not alone.

Across the Gold Coast, community concern continued to grow, with social media awash with demands for answers.

Many are now waiting on the outcome of the charity’s financial investigations, which early indications suggest may involve debts exceeding $1 million. That figure may not include unsecured creditors or the many individuals who purchased raffle tickets.

So far, calls for Patterson to directly address these questions have yielded little response, with council maintaining it is “seeking legal advice”.

But the story doesn’t end there.

Some community members, attempting to understand what happened, began raising questions online.

In doing so, attention turned to Patterson’s past conduct, including a finding by the Office of the Independent Assessor relating to an earlier public forum incident.

Then the situation escalated — enter Shane St Reynolds, former bankrupt and church minister.

St Reynolds associated himself publicly with Patterson’s office.

Questions have since been raised about the nature of his role and engagement; whether a former bankrupt in working inside Patterson’s office is appropriate use of rate payers funds and complies with local government requirements.

St Reynolds claims:

I operate at the intersection of Law, Cyber Security and Public Policy.

 

Currently serving as a Councillor Advisor for the City of Gold Coast (Division 6) working with Cr Brooke Patterson. I provide consultancy services across the legal, financial and cybersecurity sectors. I specifically assist law firms with the technical requirements of digital litigation, including the identification of anonymous online actors and the preservation of digital evidence.

At the same time, multiple Gold Coast social media community pages and profiles came under cyber attack by St Reynolds.

Orchestrated vexatious complaints were made to social media administrators triggered account suspensions and deactivation of accounts. These messages were described as alarming or confusing and, in some cases, were later deleted.

Some recipients, most particularly senior Gold Coast residents, reported feeling concerned, unsafe or unsure about the origin of the messages. Community pages disappeared overnight.

At the same time, several community-run Facebook pages were reportedly taken offline following automated complaint activity, with page administrators claiming they were unable to recover them.

One user reported:

‘Regarding the “outage” of the FB page Stop the Gold Coast Quarry, I see you commented about a similar thing you may have experienced. “We” (I am connected with, but not in control of the FB page) are unsure what has caused this technical glitch. It happened around the same me some settings were changed by the admin, but we don’t know if it is malicious either.’

Further questions arise: Were these actions taken by St Reynolds independently or in an official capacity with knowledge of Paterson’s and or her office?

Then, separately, St Reynolds initiated proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia seeking access to user data from Meta Platforms, Inc, citing alleged harm arising from online content.

Again, was this in an official capacity as a paid employee of Gold Coast Council on the rate payer purse or without Patterson’s knowledge.

Such legal mechanisms exist, but their use in this context has raised concerns among some observers about the potential chilling effect on public commentary.

The motivations behind St Reynolds' actions remain contested. It is not publicly established whether these steps were taken independently or with any direction from Patterson.

But there’s more.

The disturbing pattern of using the courts.

St Reynolds has a bizarre history of filing action with the courts and then withdrawing them.

Further reports on St Reynolds indicate he disappeared from Patterson, taking extended leave from all official duties after a work place incident involving a threat to his life with a weapon.

Questions surround St Reynolds. Was he stood down or had he completed his tenure?

While St Reynolds was reportedly on WorkCover leave, he nevertheless appeared capable of initiating and directing complex legal proceedings. Yet more questions arose as to whether St Reynolds was sufficiently unwell to be on WorkCover leave, yet still able to initiate and manage complex legal proceedings. It is reasonable to ask how those two positions align?

Was he selectively incapacitated, or is there an explanation that reconciles both?

That’s a matter that warrants clarification rather than assumption.

And throughout it all, Patterson’s response remains unchanged.

Silence.

So where does this leave the Gold Coast community?

With more questions than answers:

• Was a car ever supplied for the raffle?
• If not, how did conflicting accounts arise about its return?
• What due diligence was undertaken before public officials engaged with the charity?
• And what role, if any, did associated individuals play in responding to public scrutiny?

A complaint has now been lodged with the Crime and Corruption Commission seeking an investigation into aspects of the matter.

Until those questions are answered with evidence, this story is unlikely to go away.