A pensioner from Leeds who set up more than 26 fictitious companies to supposedly sell anti-snoring devices was jailed earlier this month for VAT fraud.
According to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), over the course of four years, 68-year-old Anthony Van Jeffery Newton made over 100 false claims for VAT refunds. He used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle, including taking expensive holidays and maintaining a luxury apartment in one of Spain’s most sought after golf resorts.
Newton was caught after HMRC officers found that a significant number of his company registrations were linked to the same product - an anti-snoring device called “The Snorestopper”.
Officers discovered that all of Newton’s businesses were bogus and had been set up solely to steal tax. He had registered company names to mailbox addresses in Wakefield, London and Leeds, but was living at his luxury apartment in Marbella.
When HMRC challenged Newton he supplied a range of invoices and receipts showing thousands of pounds of business purchases and expenditure. However, officers discovered that these documents were not only false but that Newton had hijacked the identities of innocent people, using them to set up fraudulent companies.
Newton fraudulently received around £147,000 in VAT refunds and attempted to claim a further £143,000. He was arrested at his home in Leeds in April 2012 and was later charged with cheating the Public Revenue, contrary to common law.
He has been sentenced to two years imprisonment and was disqualified as a company director for six years.
For legal advice from our solicitors in London regarding VAT fraud and defending yourself from VAT fraud prosecutions or investigations, please contact Jeffrey Lewis or Siobhain Egan on 020 7387 2032.
