A former car finance boss and car
salesman has been ordered to repay £350,000, after making a series
of fraudulent applications to obtain car finance.
Andrew Lawson, 40, of Hexham, was
convicted in May of five offences of fraud and eight offences of
theft. He was sentenced to two years in jail as well as ordered to
repay the money under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Access deeper industry intelligence
Experience unmatched clarity with a single platform that combines unique data, AI, and human expertise.
The arrest followed a money
laundering investigation conducted by Northumbria Police, who
identified a series of credit agreements to obtain car finance
which had been made by fraudulent means.
Officers discovered that Lawson
made a substantial benefit from this continued criminal
activity.
His actions ultimately saw him
declared bankrupt.
DC Brian Orkney said: “The order
imposed by the court represents the total benefit of Lawson’s
criminal activity. Lawson is currently serving a two-year custodial
sentence, the amount of the order imposed is a debt which
ultimately will still have to be paid.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData“It is an excellent result for both
the police and the law abiding community, it serves as a warning to
any other criminals that crime does not pay.
“When criminals are convicted they
may not only sacrifice their freedom but they can also lose the
cash and ill-gotten gains they’ve gathered through criminal
activities.
“Northumbria Police does not
tolerate those who attempt to live their lives on the back of
crime.
“We will continue to target criminals who live extravagant
lifestyles without any obvious legal source of income.”
