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The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) investigation showed that Dunton purchased three houses in Essex using a network of ‘professional’ facilitators: these were a licensed conveyancer Paul Reader, 52, and a mortgage broker Tony Sanham and his partner Catherine Ferguson, 61. They provided false pay slips, P60s and employment details and conveyancing for a number of ‘clients’.
Mortgage broker jailed after £8m loans fraud
Wednesday 4th April 2012
A convicted fraudster who placed bets for high-profile sports figures has been sentenced to 18 months’ jail for mortgage fraud which involved a network of ‘professional facilitators’ including a mortgage broker and conveyancer.
The broker, Tony Sanham, 60, had entered an early plea of guilty to arranging 43 fraudulent mortgages worth over £8m.
Warren Dunton, 45, from Essex, called former boxing champion Frank Bruno as a character witness. Bruno, who knew nothing of the scams, told the court his friend was a ‘diamond geezer’.
Dunton obtained three mortgages in 1999, 2002 and 2007 by declaring false income and employment details.
When placing bets on behalf of clients, Dunton would either keep part of the stake money for himself or give odds that were less favourable than he could get elsewhere, which would then allow him to pocket the ‘extra’ winnings.
Evidence from Premier League footballer Mathew Etherington stated that he staked up to £800,000 with Dunton over a two-year period.
During a three-week trial at Southwark Crown Court, the jury heard that Dunton applied for three ‘non status mortgages’ to avoid providing exact employment details.
He claimed his income came from gambling and was tax-free, yet in one of the mortgage applications, in 2007, Dunton declared he was employed as a quantity surveyor earning £127,000.
The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) investigation showed that Dunton purchased three houses in Essex using a network of ‘professional’ facilitators: these were a licensed conveyancer Paul Reader, 52, and a mortgage broker Tony Sanham and his partner Catherine Ferguson, 61. They provided false pay slips, P60s and employment details and conveyancing for a number of ‘clients’.
Further analysis showed that Reader, who may no longer be employed by solicitors’ firms, obtained his own fraudulent mortgages through Sanham.
Sanham, Reader and Ferguson were jailed for a total of 12 years.
The investigation was in partnership with the FSA and Essex Police. The assets of all four criminals have been restrained and confiscation proceedings are now under way.
Bob Ferguson, the FSA’s head of financial crime and intelligence, said: “This is a good example of agencies working together to get justice done, and of the benefits that come from sharing intelligence.
“The FSA intelligence team worked closely with SOCA in the early stages of this investigation to help ensure a successful conclusion. This is not the first time and certainly will not be the last time that the FSA helps law enforcement.”
Alun Milford of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This case represented the first use of the Attorney General’s guidelines on plea discussions in cases of serious or complex fraud. It allowed us to secure an early guilty plea from Sanham which reflected the true extent of his criminality without the need to call witnesses at a trial.
“His early guilty plea helped us also in the subsequent prosecution of his co-defendants. We will continue to look for innovative ways to prosecute organised criminals like these defendants.”
The broker, Tony Sanham, 60, had entered an early plea of guilty to arranging 43 fraudulent mortgages worth over £8m.
Warren Dunton, 45, from Essex, called former boxing champion Frank Bruno as a character witness. Bruno, who knew nothing of the scams, told the court his friend was a ‘diamond geezer’.
Dunton obtained three mortgages in 1999, 2002 and 2007 by declaring false income and employment details.
When placing bets on behalf of clients, Dunton would either keep part of the stake money for himself or give odds that were less favourable than he could get elsewhere, which would then allow him to pocket the ‘extra’ winnings.
Evidence from Premier League footballer Mathew Etherington stated that he staked up to £800,000 with Dunton over a two-year period.
During a three-week trial at Southwark Crown Court, the jury heard that Dunton applied for three ‘non status mortgages’ to avoid providing exact employment details.
He claimed his income came from gambling and was tax-free, yet in one of the mortgage applications, in 2007, Dunton declared he was employed as a quantity surveyor earning £127,000.
The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) investigation showed that Dunton purchased three houses in Essex using a network of ‘professional’ facilitators: these were a licensed conveyancer Paul Reader, 52, and a mortgage broker Tony Sanham and his partner Catherine Ferguson, 61. They provided false pay slips, P60s and employment details and conveyancing for a number of ‘clients’.
Further analysis showed that Reader, who may no longer be employed by solicitors’ firms, obtained his own fraudulent mortgages through Sanham.
Sanham, Reader and Ferguson were jailed for a total of 12 years.
The investigation was in partnership with the FSA and Essex Police. The assets of all four criminals have been restrained and confiscation proceedings are now under way.
Bob Ferguson, the FSA’s head of financial crime and intelligence, said: “This is a good example of agencies working together to get justice done, and of the benefits that come from sharing intelligence.
“The FSA intelligence team worked closely with SOCA in the early stages of this investigation to help ensure a successful conclusion. This is not the first time and certainly will not be the last time that the FSA helps law enforcement.”
Alun Milford of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This case represented the first use of the Attorney General’s guidelines on plea discussions in cases of serious or complex fraud. It allowed us to secure an early guilty plea from Sanham which reflected the true extent of his criminality without the need to call witnesses at a trial.
“His early guilty plea helped us also in the subsequent prosecution of his co-defendants. We will continue to look for innovative ways to prosecute organised criminals like these defendants.”
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