9th
Oct 2017
Over a £1million confiscation order, under the Proceeds of Crime Act, has been made against a former agent which makes it one of the biggest orders ever to be awarded against a UK lettings agent.
The fraudster who ran two letting franchises throughout Northamptonshire was given a judicial sentence of two years and nine months back in 2016.
In the recently held court case, which was a follow up to the original ruling passed last year, the court was told how the conman carried out scams to generate huge profits by illegally increasing costs for supposed repairs, maintenance and safely work that landlords and tenants were overcharged for.
However his criminal activities did not end there, he was also found guilty of insurance and VAT fraud as well as money laundering between 2008 and 2012.
For his sins he has been levied with a confiscation order for £1.006 million under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, which is the largest ever order secured by the Northamptonshire Trading Standards Office.
From the £1.006 million that has to be paid, £51,000 has been awarded to the guilty party's former landlords and tenants who were prey to his scams.
Failure to pay back the full amount of the confiscation order will result in the conman receiving a further seven year jail sentence.
"This is an amazing result for Trading Standards and reflects the hard work of the officers involved in carrying out both the criminal and financial investigation” says a council spokesperson.
The Trading Standards Office first became aware of his illegal business operations when one his clients, a landlady with a property in Kettering reported him for overcharging on routine safety checks.
She had queried the cost of the checks as the conman had given her invoices amounting to £502.50. These proved to be fakes as it was found out that the contractor had only charged £166.25 for the work carried out.
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