 Soon after the Danes were detained, fugitive Bernie Jeppesen (GML) claimed that two dubious Australian characters (one notorious for money laundering and the other a disbarred lawyer) known as associates of murdered Melbourne lawyer/conman Max Green) were the main accusers against the Danes.In June 2001, a Lao court convicted both Kerry and Kay Danes of embezzlement, tax evasion and destruction of evidence, sentenced each to seven years imprisonment, and ordered them to pay fines and compensation of $AUD1.1 million.The Australian government intervened on their behalf, and the Danes had served less than a total of ten months in prison when provisionally released on 6 October 2001.