Recycling tech biz bosses get years for VAT fraud, money laundering

A dastardly duo running IT recycling businesses that pilfered nearly £145,000 in VAT and laundered cash for a gang of fraudsters face years behind bars, HMRC confirmed today. Andrew Baddeley, 45, formerly of Greengate Road, Stoke-on-Trent, and Douglas Brown, 55, of Springfield Avenue, Warrington, ran CMS Computer Monitor …

[frank ly]

banned from holding a directorship

Does the ban period for being a company director come into effect after the release from prison? If it's concurrent with the prison sentence that that would seem strange.

Is it possible to be a company director while you're in prison?

[Bob Wheeler]

Re: banned from holding a directorship

As far as I know, you only get banned from being a company director if your involved in such crime as VAT fraud, not for things like burglary or drink driving.

So yes, you can be a company director while you're in prison.

[Bill M]

Re: banned from holding a directorship

Some company directors should be sent to prison when they rip people off, but somehow they never are.

[mark l 2]

Re: banned from holding a directorship

"Does the ban period for being a company director come into effect after the release from prison? If it's concurrent with the prison sentence that that would seem strange."

Yes the ban would be in effect immediately, not at the end of the sentence. The courts cannot put off sentencing until a later date.

So for example if your imprisoned for drink driving and given a driving ban this starts while your in prison, even though you cannot drive while in there

[Ochib]

Re: banned from holding a directorship

The drink driving laws have been amended to allow the Judge to make the ban consecutive rather than concurrent.

[Aqua Marina]

“Didn't realise IT was only thing were supposed to refurbish”

Can’t make my mind up if this sentence makes sense.

[karlkarl]

Sometimes I am jelous of those in the 3rd world tech sector. They get all the decent hardware such as thinkpads whilst we have to fsck(8) around with locked down consumer crap like iOS or Windows S(pastic) Edition.

When these guys get out of prison... I might see if I can contact them and get some sweet (VAT free) deals!

[Anonymous Coward]

"Sometimes I am jelous of those in the 3rd world tech sector. They get all the decent hardware such as thinkpads"

I have no connection with them but last year, after she had enormous trouble with Windows 10, I arranged for an elderly friend to buy a refurbished Thinkpad (with SSD) from Tier1. Since then, no problems.

You do have to watch their website because the good stuff comes in and goes out very fast.

[Voland's right hand]

Sometimes I am jelous of those in the 3rd world tech sector.

Don't be. I spent some time doing this 20+ years ago in Eastern Europe. Some of the sh*t that came down this route into my repair workshop was err... covered in sh*t. And other stuff. Courtesy of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Central_European_flood floods.

[adam payne]

Efforts to recover the stolen VAT and criminal proceeds are under way, HMRC said

Asset strip them

[Frenchie Lad]

Kindergarten Stuff

Clearly these gentlemen have picked the wrong country. They should have tried a country like Poland for VAT reclaims where between 2007-2015 some 230 billion PLN were falsely reclaimed and currently very few of said businessmen are serving porridge. The old saying too big to fail seems to be true for false VAT claims.

Folks if you're going to do it then set your sights high or at the very least learn from professionals.

I wonder whether after Brexit such spurious claims will be able to be continued?

[Mark 85]

Re: Kindergarten Stuff

Folks if you're going to do it then set your sights high or at the very least learn from professionals.

Old saying that if you might have to serve the time, make sure it's worth it. IOW, these guys (looking at the money they made) were very small fish in a very large ocean.