[10][11] Pisasale was convicted of two counts of extortion on 24 July 2019 where he was found to have impersonated a private investigator as part of a plot to unlawfully obtain $10,000 from another individual.

[17][18] Pisasale later pleaded guilty to a range of additional charges including perjury, fraud, corruption, and sexual assault.

His criminal behaviour was described as "systematic corruption and failings" whereby Pisasale "exploited and manipulated" his position in the Council including the commission of sexual assault offences within his former official chambers.

[20] He was sentenced to an additional seven and a half years in jail for the crimes he admitted in 2020, and was eligible for parole from October 2022.

[22] In 2010, Pisasale was awarded the title of "Queensland Local Hero" by the National Australia Day Council.