When a frightened 72-year-old woman was trapped inside her burning house, Nick Karagiannis came to her rescue.
The father of three saved her from the flames of her Homebush home right before the roof collapsed, a courageous act that in 2018 earned him the fourth-highest Australian Bravery Decoration.
Video footage of the ceremony shows the 44-year-old smiling as NSW Governor Margaret Beazley awarded him the Commendation for Brave Conduct.
In the years that followed, Karagiannis became increasingly well-known in his community. Online posts praised his charity work and schoolchildren watched his inspirational speeches in which he preached that today’s work is tomorrow’s reward.
But not all his actions have been honest and admirable.
While working his regular job as general manager with Suttons Motor Group in Homebush, the car dealer secretly defrauded his employer out of half …