By Tristram Clayton
It is Friday, July the 15th. D day for Craig Mudgway and Anita Cranston.
Today's the day they promised to repay the deposits of more than 100 guests who'd booked a luxury Fiji villa. But across the country, from Dunedin to Whangarei, it's the same story: Not a cent has been repaid.
The Moody family say they are disappointed.
"We had communication since our last chat and it was all about promises to make sure the payment was made… But nothing."
Bevan Lockwood's mother-in-law discovered only last weekend she'd also fallen victim to the scam.
She'd just lost her partner of 40 years and a Fiji holiday was supposed to help get her life back on track.
“I happened to be watching Campbell Live and I said to my wife I'm pretty sure that's the villa that my mother-in-law rented in August, and upon further investigation it very much was.”
Mr Lockwood says if he hadn’t been watching, he’s not sure what might have happened.
"Jamie might very well have turned up to Fiji on the 17th of August and been told, 'new owners, go and find alternative accommodation'," he said
So on the day of reckoning, after promising to refund almost $50,000 in deposits, nothing. This, despite the couple being holed up in a luxury clifftop Takapuna apartment at a cost of $1500 a week.
When Campbell Live called this morning the lights were on, but there was no sign of the couple.
Neighbours say they haven't been seen for four days.
If they've done a runner it won't be a first.
On October 12 1990 Craig Mudgway, a former real estate agent turned Lower Hutt property developer, was declared bankrupt.
He and his business partner David Hitchins had a collective debt of more than $8 million.
Ten years later he was bankrupt again.
And now it looks likely it's happening again.
Craig Mudgway was involved in failed property developments linked to Bluechip and this time his debt is a whole lot bigger.
It turns out it wasn't just our families wanting answers from Mudgway. Westpac had also been looking for him for some months. The day after our story went to air, he was served with papers for a $25 million dollar debt.
Anita Cranston and Craig Mudgway have continued to take bookings for the next two years for a property seized by the Fijian high court on May 23 after Mudgway defaulted on his mortgage.
Cranston has also maintained the home was not double or triple booked, insisting she had “never double-booked the property"
But Campbell Live has evidence to prove otherwise.
We asked all the parties who came to us to send us Cranston's invoice and confirmation of the paid deposits.
Cranston took payment from Leonie Wallace for a September wedding. Leonie paid her deposit on January 26 to book the villa from September 8 through to 15th.
Just a day later, Anita confirms Paul Moodie's booking. His deposit goes through on January 27 and he's booked from August 25 until September 11.
Three weeks later she sent a receipt confirming an eight day stay for Paul Yovich - August 27 to September 4. Their entire stay coincides with the Moodies’.
It get worse. A month later she sent Jackie Ross - who was also planning to get married in the house - her receipt. September 3 to September 10. Again totally overlapping the Moodies’ stay, and for a couple of days with the Yovich's too.
Bevan Lockwood believes this shows the couple intentionally double booked families and this amounts to fraud.
“It'll be fraud by deception and there could be innumerable others. And they've also spent money for a service before its even been provided and knowing full well if that couldn't be provided they weren't in a financial position to repay it,” he said.
He believes it is black and white.
It's also likely there are many other overseas victims. Former staff have told us at least half the guests who stayed in the house last year weren't from New Zealand.
So no money for anyone today and no word from Cranston and Mudgway despite repeated offers for them to appear on this programme.
And bizarrely, Anita and Craig continue to phone some of our families late at night and send offensive emails.
Our families have gone to police stations all over the country to lay complaints, meantime another person is waiting to be paid too.
The couple's landlord in Takapuna is waiting for the couple to pay $6,000 in rent.
After living in hotels like the Spencer on Byron and the Westin, the couple only moved in four weeks ago.
Their rent was due today.
3 News