WIREDGOV

A couple from Barton in Ormskirk have been given 6 months to hand over £100,000 of criminal gains or face prison sentences.
 


Graeme Davies, 45 of Smithy Lane, Barton, Ormskirk, Lancashire was sentenced to three years in prison in 2011 for evading duty of around £1 million by smuggling cigarettes.
 
He was later given an additional 15 months suspended sentence for fraud and deception offences, while his wife Anastasia Kalesopoulou, also 45 of the same address was given 100 hours community service for fraudulently obtaining a loan.



Following an in-depth financial investigation by the National Crime Agency, on 20th May 2015 a judge at Manchester Crown Court ruled that Davies had benefited from his criminal conduct to the amount of £6,296,275.00, while his wife had benefited to the tune of £1,310,000.00.
 
The judge made a confiscation order for a combined amount of £100,000, which represents the realisable assets taking into account the outstanding mortgages and loans that were fraudulently obtained.

The couple have six months to pay or they will face additional prison terms of 12 months for Davies and 20 months for Kalesopoulou.
 
Three men convicted alongside Davies for the cigarette conspiracy had previously been ordered to pay a total of £260,000 at earlier hearings.



Garry Crone from the NCA’s Economic Crime Command, said:
 
“This was a complicated financial enquiry which was made possible by the support of HMRC and partners in the banking sector.
 


“As this case shows, our investigations do not stop when a criminal is convicted. Money is not only the motivation for most criminals, it is also key to facilitating future criminal enterprises. This is why we are determined to take their profits off criminals.”