Renowned Canberra chef James Mussillon told his psychiatrist he "didn't have the brains" to work out the money laundering scheme for which he had been charged, an ACT court has heard.
Mussillon, who was the operator of Canberra's Courgette Restaurant until he was arrested in 2021, was described as "socially incompetent" as a consequence of autism, by the psychiatrist during a sentencing hearing in the ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday.
He has admitted to dealing with up to half a million dollars linked to a second man who cannot be named.
The court heard the bulk of the money was laundered between 2016 and 2021, when Mussillon would pay the other man pretend wages for working in the restaurant, under the headings 'pay', Courgette pay' and 'boss pay'.
That included more than $30,000 in COVID-19 payments for the man who was not an employee of the restaurant.
On Wednesday, forensic psychiatrist Andrew Carroll told the court he had diagnosed Mussillon with autism and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dr Carroll said Mussillon really only had relationships with the people with whom he worked.
"He does not really have friends like other people," Dr Carroll said.
When it was pointed out Mussillon had successfully run several high-profile restaurants, Dr Carroll said Mussillon was high functioning, but his conditions had led to a naivety and a reduced ability to determine the motives of other people.
"But for his psychological conditions, I do not think he would have been involved," Dr Carroll said.
The doctor also told the court Mussillon had told him that in relation to the money laundering:
"I don't have the brains to work it out."
But Dr Carroll said Mussillon did understand that what he did was wrong and conceded his actions to disguise the payments were inconsistent with his claim.
"There's a degree of downplaying. Whether it's an outright lie is a matter for the court," he said.
"Do you accept it was dishonest?" prosecutor Keegan Lee asked.
"It was a self-serving distortion," Dr Carroll replied.
Lamborghini in Mussillon's name wasn't driven by him, court hears
Dr Carroll told the court Mussillon's behaviour had to be seen through his fear of the underworld figures he had found himself dealing with.
His barrister, Matthew Johnston, urged the court not to send Mussillon back to jail, after noting he had already spent more than seven months behind bars since his arrest.
He told the court Mussillon had been controlled by a puppeteer and did not get anything out of it.
The court heard that included the purchase of a Lamborghini, which was put in his name, but driven by the other man.
"He gets the headache of having the Lamborghini in his name, but not the benefit of actually driving it," Mr Johnston said.
But the prosecution asked that Mussillon be given more jail time.
Mr Lee said he accepted Mussillon had been scared when he spoke to police, but argued that that did not carry through to when he was committing the offences.
Mr Lee also pointed out there was a second psychological assessment which found Mussillon had only mild autistic traits.
He told the court Mussillon had downplayed his involvement and not taken responsibility.
Justice David Mossop has reserved his decision on sentencing.
