Sex, lies & surveillance

John Elder,
March 9, 2008–

DAMIEN DELZOPPO of Avenue Investigations says he was playing a clean game — "well within the limits of the law" — during an episode that ended with one Melbourne contractor blackmailing a rival into pulling out of the tendering for a local council job.

It seems that the rival — owner of a construction business, 20 to 30 workers — had been winning council jobs left and right. He was significantly undercutting everybody else. It was a mystery.

"We were asked to find out how he was doing the jobs so cheap," says Delzoppo. This, by the way, was a $1500 job for him.

"It didn't take long to find out the guy was having an affair with his materials supplier. She was selling him the materials cheap. We gave our client the video evidence and he went to see his rival. The information was used to suggest that the guy should withdraw his tender."

Bottom line: if your council rates suddenly go up, this story may have something to do with it.

"This is how the real world works," says Delzoppo, who does a fine sigh of regret — and a solid line of surveillance.

It's not the sex that makes private investigation a dirty business, it's the money side of things. The big money, from the big end of town.