Dene Broadbelt has resurfaced, as opposed to being resurrected, claiming that he did not try to fake his death.
After an earlier report headlined “Not dead, just moved back home: latest twist in Dene Broadbelt saga” we received an email purpotedly from a Harrison O’Connor who also goes by the name of Dene Broadbelt who wrote
“And the Hyde (sic) to publish a story to say I’m dead you will be hearing from my lawyers who are ccd in on this.”
We have removed the reference to being ‘back home.’ The rest of this article remains unchanged.
“I am not dead,” he told the Batemans Bay Post and Ulladulla Times in an interview which puts his side of the story on the record.
The paper received a call from a man claiming to be Broadbelt on Thursday afternoon. He said the call was made on legal advice.
“I made a mistake when I was younger,” he told the paper. “I racked up a few debts, it came to $250,000. There was no option other to declare myself bankrupt.”
He denied knowledge of the email reporting his death and said he had not been in contact with the person who sent it since 2012. He denied writing the email himself.
Broadbelt denied trying to set up a real estate agency in Victoria and denied being a “conman.”
“I have completed a diploma in real estate,” he told the paper. “I came down looking to get into the real estate industry, to move on with my life. But they were only plans.”
He denied offering employment to anyone and said he knew he could not sell real estate without a licence. “I have only put feelers out,” he said.
Broadbelt’s denials however, are not consistent with radioinfo’s information.
radioinfo contacted the young author of the ‘death announcement’ email before publishing our original report. We believe he had more recent contact with Broadbelt.
The author of the email, who we do not want to bring further into the spotlight at this time because of his youth, has been described by a long time staff member of Zoo FM/2DU as being a “close personal friend of Dene’s.” He was an unpaid work experience kid at Zoo FM when Broadbelt was there. Our source described him as being “under Dene’s influence.” radioinfo has retained copies of emails that verify the sources of this information.
On the subject of whether Broadbelt was soliciting employees for a planned real estate venture, again Broadbelt’s denials in the newspaper is not consistent with our information.
radioinfo has had contact from several eye witnesses who saw Broadbelt taking recruitment meetings at various venues in the Timboon region of Victoria. At least two people allege that Broadbelt had actively tried to recruit them and had provided them with contracts that bore little resemblance to what he had promised.
We have retained documents to substantiate the sources.
Broadbelt’s modus operandi for recruiting young staff is to use social media and online recruitment sites such as seek. radioinfo has been sent a copy of an ad placed on Seek looking for “a sales rockstar” in the region where Broadbelt was recruiting. It offers “a package that could let you earn up to quarter of a million dollars,” and has similar inconsistent grammar and spelling as in ads placed by Broadbelt for previous failed ventures.
The newspaper interview which tells Broadbelt’s side of the story ranged wider than just questioning him on the facts of his most recent activities, it also gives previously unpublished explanations of why Broadbelt has changed his alias so many times. radioinfo does not make any comment on the name change explanations quoted in the report, as we do not have any information on this matter, although we do have email correspondence from his mother’s email address.
In the report Broadbelt says he has had death threats and quotes this as one of the reasons for changing names. The Bay Post/Ulladulla Times also reported:
Mr Broadbelt has also used the name Dene Mussillon, which he said was his mother’s name and his registered birth name.
He said this had been changed at the age of five to his father’s name, Broadbelt.
“In April 2014, because of all these stories – I was receiving death threats and so was my mum and my grandparents – they urged me to change my name, which is now Harrison O’Connor,” he said.
Broadbelt did not make any comment on other names he is alleged to have used in recent weeks while attempting to set up the real estate agency. radioinfo has information about at least one other alias he may have used during this time.
If you have other first hand information about the activities of the former radio announcer turned real estate agent and would like to share them with us, please email [email protected].