The elegant interior designer Adriana Benhamou Weiss was a mainstay on Sydney’s social scene for years, traveling the globe, attending high-profile events, and rubbing shoulders with affluent clients.
She designed hotels and apartment complexes in Paris, Moscow, Italy, and Dubai, as well as the residences of Australian multimillionaires.
The forty-year-old now divides her time between Australia and Paris, where she had to start from scratch and establish a brand-new worldwide design firm after being barred from functioning in her native country.
Adriana Benhamou Weiss was found guilty of forging her company’s bank statements.
However, this does not prevent the former Sydney socialite from leading a lavish lifestyle in Paris.
Adriana moved to Paris after the failure of the business she co-owned with her mother (the Moroccan-born stylist and performer Helene), Benhamou Designs Pty Ltd.
In Paris, her mother remade herself as Helene and uploaded YouTube videos of herself singing French love songs.
Weiss swiftly followed her mother and founded Iconique Studio, an international design firm based in Paris.
The remainder of her time is spent traveling to Australia to visit her children.
Weiss has fallen from grace since her days in Sydney’s social scene, despite her return to a life of luxury on the opposite side of the earth.
The socialite resided in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and counted among her pals the wife of home loan multimillionaire ‘Aussie’ John Symond and affluent jeweller Alina Barlow.
Adriana Benhamou Weiss (right) currently operates a company in Paris. Picture: Instagram
Weiss has fallen from grace since her days on the Sydney social scene. Picture
In addition to appearing in Australian Vogue, she was frequently spotted alongside Ellie Aitken and Roxy Jacenko.
The decline started in 2018 when the 40-year-company, old’s Benhamou Designs Pty Ltd, went bankrupt.
A report from October 2018 alleges that Weiss attributed the company’s failure to “Australian Taxation Office default assessments and poor business management.” Ferrier Hodgson was appointed as liquidator, and the report claims that Weiss attributed the company’s failure to “Australian Taxation Office default assessments and poor business management.”
At the time, the company owed the ATO about $3.9 million, with total liabilities exceeding $8.1 million.
On Instagram, the former socialite documents her profession and daily life. Picture: 
According to the report, the company failed owing to “poor financial control, including a lack of records, poor strategic management, inadequate cash flow or high case use, trade losses, and major customer and supplier issues.”
The report concluded, “In my opinion, the director permitted the company to incur debts of approximately $7.5 million at a time when the company was insolvent.”
Weiss was charged with 12 counts of fabricating company records after directing an employee to fake six bank transactions in four currencies totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars on six separate occasions.
Before she was charged, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission began an inquiry into the socialite.
In 2018, Adriana Benhamou Weiss’ Sydney-based company, Benhamou Designs Pty Ltd, declared bankrupt. Photographed in Downing District Court
She eventually pled guilty to six of the charges, with court documents indicating the offenses occurred over the course of a month in 2016 – two years prior to the company’s demise.
The gorgeous ex-socialite appeared in Sydney’s District Court on Friday after flying in from Paris, where the court was informed that in 2015 she had employed a junior employee whom she later asked to assist her in the wrongdoing.
The court was informed by Judge William Fitzsimmons that Weiss, as CEO of DEC Services, entered into an arrangement to construct new office space and a home office in Sydney.
She said she could offer “cheaper service” than her competitors since she owned a Dubai-based furniture manufacturing and distribution company.
She was indicted on twelve counts of falsifying financial documents. Photographed in Downing District Court
The court was informed that work began immediately on the project, but the construction business engaged promptly disclosed it had never been paid for the demolition of the site.
Weiss commanded the junior employee to Photoshop bogus NAB payment confirmation receipts depicting fictitious business transactions from her company to suppliers and contractors.
She also charged money that clients had paid her for services to her own credit card, according to court testimony.
In a meeting with DEC Services, Weiss presented fictitious payment transactions to demonstrate that payments were made.
Judge Fitzsimmons told the court that the junior employee stated she felt ‘compelled’ to complete the task for her supervisor because it was her first job out of college.
He stated, “She induced a young employee to engage in the conduct, which makes it more serious.”
Weiss pleaded guilty to six of the offenses and was placed on probation and fined $20,000 for his actions. Photographed in Downing District Court
She provided intricate counterfeits of official NAB documents in an attempt to deceive others.
During the time of the offense, Benhamou Designs received $380,450 from customers, according to court documents.
According to court filings, around $156,000 was charged to Weiss’ personal credit card and spent on hotels, clothing, and other personal items.
The judge stated that Weiss’ behavior was “deliberate and determined” because she hired a young worker who was “weak and susceptible” to accomplish chores for her company.
Judge Fitzsimmons stated, “Her part was the first work she had after completing her studies, and she deemed it suitable; she stated that if she had refused to perform it, she would not have been granted assignments and would have been treated differently.”
In a statement, Weiss apologized to everyone “touched by” her behavior. Photographed in Downing District Court
He stated that the offense is more severe than if Weiss had committed it alone.
After large monies were sent to Weiss’s business in good faith, the judge ruled that she attempted to dodge culpability.
Weiss was sentenced to a total period of imprisonment of 10 months, but she was immediately freed on a recognizance release order on the condition that she maintain 18 months of good behavior and pay a $20,000 fine.
In a statement, Weiss apologized to everyone who had been “affected by” her behavior.
“I appreciate the Court’s consideration of my personal circumstances in today’s sentencing,” she said.
“I am committed to progressing personally and professionally with optimism and appreciation.”
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