Criminal syndicates in Australia are increasingly turning to vulnerable young people to carry out their crimes. They are targeting teenagers with low IQ and even intellectual disabilities. These teenagers are recruited to commit serious offences, including home invasions and firebombings. The syndicates are reaching them through gaming and messaging apps.
The approach allows the networks to reach children directly and discreetly. Gaming platforms and messaging services have become a channel for recruitment. Through these apps, organizers can identify and draw in potential recruits. The teenagers are then used as foot soldiers for the syndicates' activities.
One family's tragedy has put a human face on the practice. Francis Romano discovered that his teenage son, Joseph, had become part of a criminal network. By the time he understood what was happening, it was too late. The realization came alongside the worst possible news.
That news arrived in the early hours of the morning. Francis received a phone call at four o'clock telling him his son had been shot dead. He described it as the saddest news he had ever heard in his life. The loss was both sudden and devastating for the family.
Joseph was 19 years old when he was killed in 2024. According to the account, he was shot and killed after he was ordered to carry out a home invasion. Police say Joseph was armed at the time. His death showed how dangerous the role of a syndicate foot soldier can be.
His path into that world had not always looked dangerous. Joseph had been a skilled junior footballer. At 16, his life took a turn when he made new friends and began staying out late. He told his father that some of his mates would raid houses, though the family did not grasp what was really going on.
Now Francis is using his son's story as a warning to other young people. He has urged teenagers who serve as foot soldiers for criminal syndicates to understand the risk they are taking. In his words, some of them will end up dead, or their friends will. His message to parents is just as direct: find out what your children are doing.