The Kid Laroi’s mother has allegedly been responsible for a nearly $10,000 worth of credit card theft in inner-city Sydney.
Sloane Howard, whose son goes by Charlton, has been charged with using a credit card illegally to pay for cosmetic services at a laser clinic four years ago.
A man who had lived close to the Howards used the identical credit card holder’s information to pay for $9,299.43 in lodging, apparel from the website The Iconic, and plumbing supplies.
The Kid Laroi notably spent a portion of his youth in public housing, where his mother started directing his musical career to success on a global scale.
Late in May, mother and son joyously made their way back to Australia for the local leg of a world tour that was cut short when Howard had to give herself in to authorities on an old fraud conviction.
According to the police, on August 8, 2018, Howard used a John Keith’s credit card information to pay $849 for cosmetic services from Laser Clinics Australia in the Marrickville Metro Shopping Center.
Sloane and her son, who was 14 at the time, were residing in the Pitt Street, Waterloo, Drysdale public housing complex at that time.
The 51-year-old was scheduled to appear before Downing Center Local Court on Monday after entering a not guilty plea to one count of dishonestly acquiring a pecuniary benefit through fraud.
On that day, the court was informed that a defendant who had been charged with the “identical factual matrix” had received a sentence in May at the Downing Center.
The perpetrator in question is Christopher Brett Kearney, 62, who was living in the Joseph Banks public housing complex on George Street in Waterloo at the time of his arrest in September 2019.
Kearney entered a not guilty plea to each of the five counts of dishonestly obtaining a financial benefit through fraud brought against him by the Inner West Proactive Crime Team.
In September 2020, Sloane was charged by the same officer from the same team.
Kearney was charged with using John Keith’s credit card information to make $685.79 worth of purchases at The Iconic between July 26 and August 10, 2018.
He was also charged with using such information to buy a $393 worth of flowers and a $1,298 Apple iPhone 8 from Officeworks within the same dates.
In the same time span, Kearney purchased plumbing tools for $7,986.14 from Tradelink in Alexandria using the card information.
Kearney used the card to pay for four nights of lodging at The Collectionist hotel in Camperdown from July 27 to July 31, 2018, totaling $627.50.
Before May, at a hearing in the Downing Centre Local Court, a statement from a salesperson from The Flower Room was presented.
On the afternoon of August 4, 2018, the assistant claimed to have taken a phone order from a person going by the name of Simone.
One pink oriental ($40), one zanzibar ($55), two hanging succulents ($70), one white mini phaly orchid ($66), one pink mini phaly orchid ($66), one purple hyacinth ($46), and two white tulips ($60) were among the items the caller intended to purchase.
The assistant reported that a guy and a child picked up the flowers at around 5 o’clock on behalf of “Simone.”
Although Kearney was found not guilty of using a credit card fraudulently to purchase flowers and an iPhone, she was found guilty of the other three offenses and given an 18-month community punishment term.
On May 26, Howard visited the city’s Day Street police station after traveling back to Australia from Los Angeles, where she had lived with her son for almost three years.
She appeared in court for the first time on May 30 while The Kid Laroi performed the third of his nine scheduled Australian shows. The outstanding warrant was then executed.
On Monday, Downing Centre Local Court heard a new mention of Howard’s case when attorney Chris Watson asked for a postponement so the remainder of a police brief could be delivered.
According to Mr. Watson, Howard was abroad as required by an ongoing contractual arrangement, and he was unsure of her precise location.
Mr. Watson informed the court, “That’s not her decision; it’s a contractual commitment.”
This is part of her son’s ongoing international tour. My customer is traveling abroad, and I am now unaware of her whereabouts.
Howard’s son, a performer in Europe, was referred to by Mr. Watson as “a well-known figure.”
The trial was postponed until July 11th.
The Kid Laroi owes a large part of his success to Howard, whose musical preferences influenced her son’s and who carefully manages his affairs. The Kid Laroi derives his name from his Indigenous Kamilaroi lineage.
He described her as “the toughest lady I know” on Mother’s Day in 2020.
He remarked, “I’ve watched you practically risk your life to make sure I always had the best, even in the worst [times].”
The Kid Laroi has previously talked about how his mother helped him and his younger brother Austin following her divorce from music producer Nick Howard in 2007.
Howard brought her sons to Broken Hill in far-western New South Wales when his parents divorced, where she established a talent business before moving back to Sydney about 2017.
The Kid Laroi has spoken extensively about his experience living in public housing and the eviction of his family from one apartment building.
The Aria-winning artist has resided in Los Angeles with his mother and Austin since since he became a worldwide sensation in 2020.
The now-18-year-old has recorded duets with Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber and just joined Scooter Braun, Bieber’s manager.
He has a record deal with Columbia and has denounced those he believes have attempted to ‘leech’ off of his recent popularity and wealth.