Six members of an
Eastern European gang who stole £6 million from the taxpayer and
spent the proceeds on exotic holidays, luxury houses and cosmetic
surgery have been jailed at Croydon Crown Court for a total of 33
years following a complex investigation by HM Revenue &
Customs (HMRC).
The ringleaders of the gang, married couple Youri Khomitch and
Victoria Chambers, ran a string of companies offering accountancy
services for Eastern European workers. They submitted over 3000
fraudulent self assessment tax returns over a four year period,
for both fictitious people and individuals whose identities had
been hijacked.
Khomitch, 36, and Chambers, 37, used the cash to buy a luxury
home in a gated community in Kent where they fitted flat-screen
TVs in every room and installed an en-suite sauna and outdoor hot
tub. They also bought a string of properties worth almost £2m
across London and Kent. They enjoyed expensive holidays to Japan,
Dubai, New York and Thailand. Chambers spent thousands of pounds
on expensive gold and diamond jewellery and a breast enlargement
operation. The fraudster couple also sent their eldest children to
a private school. When they were arrested, HMRC officers found
over £130,000 in cash and £380,000 of payable orders from HMRC.
The fraudulent enterprise was started by Komitch and Vjacheslav
Dostenko, a Belarussian, in 2004. They fell out in 2005 and
Dostenko was joined by Roman Kuznetsov, a convicted Russian
cigarette smuggler. They set up a bogus recruitment company in
Southwark and lured unsuspecting eastern European construction
workers to their offices on the false promise of lucrative work.
Once there, the fraudsters took their identity documents which
they then used without their knowledge to submit hundreds of false
repayment returns
Some of the bogus firms were set up by Alexander Sokolovskiy, a
Russian who specialised in false identities and was described in
court as the “bank man”. He set up fraudulent companies which the
rest of the gang used as a cover for the fraud, and used fake
identities to open the bank accounts that were used to receive the
illegal rebates.
The final fraudster was Oleksandra Hawkins who acted as company
secretary for two of the companies used to commit the fraud.
Peter Hollier, Assistant Director, Criminal Investigation for
HMRC said:
“This was an organised criminal attack on the public purse. This
gang stole identities and exploited innocent citizens with no
regard for the consequences – they were solely motivated by greed.
Tax fraud is not a victimless crime – it takes money away from
vital public services, and HMRC is determined to make the
perpetrators of these crimes face the full force of the law.”
The gang members are currently subject of a restraint order,
freezing assets of over £2 million. Confiscation proceedings are underway.
Notes to editors
1. All
defendants were charged with Cheating the Public Revenue. Details
of individual defendants are as follows:
Youri Khomitch (DOB 26/09/74) of 3, Hollandbury Park, Kings
Hill, West Malling, Kent, sentenced to seven years. Victoria
Lvovna Chambers(DOB 26/05/73) of 3, Hollandbury Park, Kings Hill,
West Malling, Kent, sentenced to four years Oleksandra Hawkins
(DOB 27/06/68) of 77, The Roundway, Tottenham, London N17 7HB,
sentenced to two years Alexander Sokolovski (DOB 07/04/60) of 23,
Boxwood Close, West Drayton, sentenced to five years Roman
Kuznetsov (DOB 19/11/79), address unknown, sentenced to eight
years Vjacheslav Dostenko (DOB 13/10/67) of Flat 37, Forset Court,
140 Edgware Road, London, sentenced to seven years
2. If anyone has any information to report to HM Revenue
& Customs (HMRC) about any individuals or businesses that
may be evading their tax, please contact the Tax Evasion hotline
by calling 0800 788 887 or via the website www.hmrc.gov.uk/tax-evasion.
3. To view the documents associated with this release, please
use the link below:
See web site for table data.
Issued by HM Revenue & Customs Press
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Jonathan Hall
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Sara Gaines
Phone: 020 7147 0394
sara.gaines@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk