- This topic has 9 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 7 months ago by
.
- Posts
Conman Anthony Lee, who swindled £1m out of investors by trying to sell the Ritz hotel, was using the funds from the fraud to pay off and annul his previous bankruptcy it has been revealed.
Lee successfully targeted wealthy investors by pretending he had access to a contract to buy one of London’s most famous hotels and its owners, the famously secretive billionaire Barclay brothers, who also own the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
Lee, 49, told businessman Terry Collins he could snap up the desirable hotel at a cut-price of £200m and then immediately sell it on for £250m, but he would need £1m up-front to keep the deal exclusive.
Collins gained financial backing from Dutch billionaire financier Marcus Boekhoorn, of Apvodedo, telling him that the reclusive Barclay brothers had “secretive” reasons for selling The Ritz through a third party.
The former lorry-driver also promised to hand over 27 boxes of sale documents entitling Collins to the deeds of the hotel but once money was transferred Lee vanished.
Having obtained the £1m, Lee sought to apply £125,000 of the cash to discharge his liabilities and annul his bankruptcy, thereby creating mitigating circumstances for the period of any bankruptcy restrictions order.
He was only thwarted in his efforts when Bokehoorn’s solicitors highlighted fraudulent actions. The Insolvency Service said: “He dishonestly represented to the Official Receiver that he was the owner of the money held to his order in his solicitors’ client account.”
Lee also immediately transferred £435,000 of swindled cash to his friend Patrick Dolan, 68, who blew the lot in a couple of days on “having a good time.” The court heard the Irishman took out up to €40,000 in cash a day (then worth about £27,000) for gambling and lost €185,000 euros (about £125,000) on the horses. He also bought a £42,000 Mercedes and paid off his 46,000 euro (about £31,000) mortgage.
Boekhoorn has sued Lee for the money and the case is set to progress to a full trial.
Remanding him in custody, Judge Stephen Robbins said Lee faces an “immediate and quite substantial custodial sentence” on July 27.
During the four-week trial, Lee, an undischarged bankrupt who had a police caution for theft and was behind with his rent at the time of the scam, insisted he was just a “straight-talking Yorkshireman”.
Lee was initially made bankrupt in 2004 after he sold a crane he had obtained on hire-purchase for a £7,000 profit without the knowledge or authority of the hire company – who still legally owned the crane.
Backing two runners is the relentless pursuit of value. Backing each way is a shortcut to the poor house. Only 7% make a long term profit.
Lee also immediately transferred £435,000 of swindled cash to his friend Patrick Dolan, 68, who blew the lot in a couple of days on “having a good time.” The court heard the Irishman took out up to €40,000 in cash a day (then worth about £27,000) for gambling and lost €185,000 euros (about £125,000) on the horses. He also bought a £42,000 Mercedes and paid off his 46,000 euro (about £31,000) mortgage.
That looks like good going for a couple of days – wouldn’t mind a couple of days like that myself.
Lee also immediately transferred £435,000 of swindled cash to his friend Patrick Dolan, 68, who blew the lot in a couple of days on “having a good time.” The court heard the Irishman took out up to €40,000 in cash a day (then worth about £27,000) for gambling and lost €185,000 euros (about £125,000) on the horses. He also bought a £42,000 Mercedes and paid off his 46,000 euro (about £31,000) mortgage.
That looks like good going for a couple of days – wouldn’t mind a couple of days like that myself.
How on earth do you spend that much on ‘having a good time’, or I am just too young innocent and naive?
What sort of defence is “straight-talking Yorkshireman” to a scam like that? Why not the old "I heard voices in my head, your Honour" scam or "I was not myself and recovering from a bout of Alzheimers at the time?
What sort of defence is “straight-talking Yorkshireman” to a scam like that? Why not the old "I heard voices in my head, your Honour" scam or "I was not myself and recovering from a bout of Alzheimers at the time?
I said I was a "straight-talking Liverpudlian" once. All charges of thefts in the Wirral were dropped
I said I was a "straight-talking Liverpudlian" once. All charges of thefts in the Wirral were dropped
Just did you for perjury then!
Even when you got £1m – you always want more.
You`ll never say that it is enough. in one minute you can lose it ononline slots
Surely his friend wasn’t allowed to launder his bets via a high street bookie? they would have called the police moment he was £5K down!
Shocking how they allow zombie machine purveying clones onto these threads.
Do we know each other Deckster?
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.