An ex-Lancashire council employee, who faked building works to steal almost £1m, has been jailed.
Stephen Crewdson, from Manchester, was convicted of fraud and money laundering after charging Lancashire County Council for bogus construction work over five years.
Crewdson arranged for building suppliers to bill the council for work that never existed. Money paid to the builders was then laundered through various bank accounts back to Crewdson.
In 2011, when HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) investigators began to check suspicious transactions, Crewdson created his own fake business, BBM, registered it for VAT via an accountant and attempted to justify further fake invoices and fraudulent VAT returns to disguise his crimes.
Sandra Smith, assistant director, fraud investigation service at HMRC, said: “As a council employee, Crewdson was in a privileged position approving supplier’s invoices. He abused this position of trust and was well aware that he was breaking the law. He made a deliberate attack on council funds at the expense of UK taxpayers.
“HMRC is committed to tackling fraud and abuse of the tax system wherever it occurs.”
On 11 November 2016, Preston Crown Court jailed Crewdson for seven and a half years.
Judge Knowles QC said as he jailed Crewdson: “You have been convicted on most overwhelming evidence and your brazen lies. You were in breach of trust at LCC and of the public of Lancashire.
“You have used two local business, generated bogus invoices and tried to cover your tracks. The people of this county, taxpayers, are your victims and all to satisfy your greed.”
Crewdson will now face legal action to recover the stolen money.
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I question is there not checks being made within the council!! I would expect there are people reading this report and thinking that is ME if I can get away with it for another year I will have stolen enough to scarper off to the Algarve. What people forget is this is our TAX PAYMENTS.