A former Victorian Building Authority assessor has been sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to accepting more than $700,000 in bribes over four years to corruptly approve at least 69 builder registrations for people who did not hold the necessary qualifications or experience. Philip Caccamo was convicted on a charge of misconduct in public office in the County Court of Victoria on 13 March 2026 and must serve a minimum of 16 months before he becomes eligible for parole. The sentencing marks the first imprisonment imposed in connection with IBAC’s Operation Perseus, the anti-corruption investigation into the Victorian Building Authority that has now resulted in 14 convictions.

Caccamo worked as an assessor at the Victorian Building Authority, a statutory body established to regulate the building and plumbing industries in Victoria. In that role he was responsible for evaluating applications from tradespeople seeking to become registered builders. Prosecutors established that over a period of four years he accepted bribes totalling more than $700,000 in exchange for rubber-stamping at least 69 registrations for applicants who were not genuinely qualified. His role as an assessor placed him in a position of significant public trust over who was permitted to enter the building industry, and at least 69 registrations were granted to people who were not properly qualified as a result of the corrupt conduct he was found to have engaged in.

IBAC established that tradespeople who sought building registrations did not always deal with Caccamo directly. The scheme operated through a small number of middlemen who collected payments from applicants and channelled the funds to VBA staff members in exchange for favourable outcomes on registration assessments. Applicants who went through these intermediaries obtained registrations they should not have received, with Caccamo approving applications regardless of whether the person met the legal requirements to practise as a registered building practitioner in Victoria.

On sentencing, the County Court of Victoria imposed a term of 36 months imprisonment. Caccamo must serve a minimum of 16 months before becoming eligible to apply for parole. The charge of misconduct in public office is a serious indictable offence reflecting the particular harm caused when a public servant corrupts the discharge of an official function. The sentence reflects the sustained nature of the conduct, the volume of registrations involved, and the significant financial benefit Caccamo received over the four years the scheme operated.

Caccamo is the 14th person to be convicted and sentenced in proceedings arising from Operation Perseus. The 13 others convicted before him include 11 builder applicants or people associated with builder applicants, an alleged facilitator in the scheme, and one other former VBA employee. The sentences imposed on those 13 individuals were considerably lighter, consisting of fines ranging from $6,000 to $18,000 and community corrections orders requiring between 125 and 200 hours of unpaid community work. Caccamo is also one of three former VBA employees charged under Operation Perseus, the others being Iolanda Fazzari and Benedetto Sano.

As of the date of Caccamo’s sentencing, 23 matters connected to Operation Perseus remained before the courts. IBAC charged a total of 38 people between August 2024 and May 2025, carrying a combined total of 369 offences. The investigation remains active and IBAC has indicated it will not provide further public comment on matters that are still before the court. Homeowners who engaged builders during the period covered by the investigation and who have concerns about the registration of their contractor are able to check the current status of any building practitioner through the Building and Plumbing Commission’s public register.