The owner of Melbourne’s iconic Revolver Upstairs nightclub has reportedly launched civil proceedings against the venue’s longtime bookkeeper, alleging misappropriated funds of almost $4.5 million.
As reported by The Age, Revs’ founder and owner Camillo Ippoliti began the nascent legal battle in December, claiming that bookkeeper Sutasinee McGuigan siphoned the funds from the Prahran nightspot between August 2023 and 2025.
Both McGuigan’s husband and daughter are listed as co-defendants and are accused of receiving the allegedly misappropriated funds into private bank accounts.
The Age notes that McGuigan is alleged to have siphoned $1,166,012 into three bank accounts under her name, $2,936,098 is claimed to have been transferred into a joint account shared with her husband Patrick, while daughter Alexandra is alleged to have received $343,000.
McGuigan is alleged to have used “fake transaction descriptions” to make almost 600 payments to these accounts, with court documents claiming fake invoices and mislabelled reimbursements from myriad sources were also used to cloak the alleged deceit.
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The Age also notes that court documents note McGuigan is accused of having breached her duty by “making payments to herself and her relatives in bad faith and for an improper purpose being for her personal gain and to the detriment of the plaintiff.”
The publication points out that McGuigan has been in the employ of Revolver Upstairs since 2010, and forensic accountants are now reviewing the club’s past 16 years of finances. McGuigan and her family are yet to file any defence.
First opening in 1999, Revolver Upstairs has become one of Melbourne's – and Australia's – most famed nightclubs. Noted for boasting a 24-hour license which allows for continuous weekend-long partying, the venue has attracted countless local and international acts over its lifetime, with performances from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Fatboy Slim, Fred again.., The Avalanches, The Presets, and more taking place in recent decades.
In December, the Revolver Buildings – which span 229-231 Chapel Street and 24 Macquarie Street, Prahran – were reported to be going under the hammer, with an expected sale price of $15 million noted at the time.
