Cases

Fraud and bribery

• £250m Conspiracy to Corrupt (Operation Hornet). Representing a former manager of HBOS bank high-risk team.
• Representing a former Director of a civil engineering company who is being investigated for a £2.5m fraud and bribery allegation against a large utility provider.
• Securing the acquittal of a local councillor facing an expenses fraud allegation.
• £100m boiler room fraud linked to the wine industry.
• Multi-million international fraud relating to investments.
• No further action on Tax investigation linked to Panama papers leak.
• Instructed on a £5m investment fraud at Southwark Crown Court.
• Instructed on £2m Phishing fraud.
• Instructed on £250m complex money laundering prosecution linked to the gold bullion industry.
• Instructed on £5m trading standards fraud.

Proceed of Crime Act

• Bank Account Freezing Order & Forfeitures. Succeeded in the return of over £500,000 of frozen funds in the last 12 month. Clients include company directors in the UK and overseas (Burma and Russia).
• Confiscation case – £250m fraud where the benefit and available amount was reduced to £40,000.
• Third-party confiscation representation.
• Cash seizures – recovery of large amounts of cash seized by various agencies.
• Instructed by an international construction company who have had c£1m frozen as part of an account freezing order.
• Instructed on a third party confiscation case involving complex issues in relation to cryptocurrency to the value of £50m.
• Succeeded in the return of £500,000 for a client  (third party confiscation case).

SFO cases

• Advising in various high profile multi-million pound SFO led investigations in main relating to bribery and corruption involving large national and international companies.
• Representing a former director of a stalled property development in the North West into which foreign investment losses amounted to over £100m. No further action taken.

HMRC cases

• Company director charged with various VAT and Corporation Tax offences. Following written representations the CPS were persuaded to withdraw all charges.
• Representing clients investigated in a conspiracy to evade alcohol duty.
• £1m payroll fraud involving multiple suspects.
• £2m tax investigation into a large business which owns 12 restaurants.
• Complex investigation into a breach of Export Control Order 2008 relating to the promotion and supply of military goods to non-EU sanctioned countries.
• Assisting various individuals with voluntary tax disclosures – COP 8 & 9.
• Large tax investigation linked to Paradise Papers leak.
• £2m Complex construction industry scheme tax fraud conspiracy.

Serious crime

• £250m complex money laundering case linked to the gold bullion industry.
• Advising on large drugs conspiracy linked to Encrochat encrypted phones hacking.
• Represented a UK based national in contested Extradition proceedings to Sweden. Allegations related to an alleged involvement in an international pensions fraud. The fraud was investigated by the Swedish Economic Crime Authority (SECA) after allegations that a foreign asset management company defrauded (80 million Euros) 22,000 Swedish pension investors. Client acquitted.
• Conspiracy to facilitate unlawful immigration.
• NCA investigation into international money laundering centering on the ForEx industry.
• No further action on £100m money-laundering investigation.
• Conspiracy to murder – on going.

Regulatory

• Large national trading standards investigation into breaches of consumer protection laws.
• Overturned local authority penalty for breach of a HMO license.
• Acquittal of landowner who was accused of using his land as a salvage yard and was in alleged breach of waste regulations.
• Health and safety – fatality case (carbon monoxide poisoning), asbestos and working at height regulations.

Cybercrime

• International finance fraud related to stolen credit cards and online purchases of high-value items.
• Represented a suspect who is part of a group alleged to have laundered more than £11 million stolen using the Dridex and Dyre streams of malicious software (malware) – no further action taken.

How to get in contact

We can assist wherever you are based. For more information and advice, then please call us today for a free initial discussion about your individual circumstances on 0330 1333676 or email Info@defencelegal.co.uk.