Taxi Driver Online

20 Mar 2008

Taxi-scam gang smashed by Customs

NINE South Tynesiders have admitted their part in a five-year
money-laundering scam involved more than £172,000.

Gang leader Peter Robinson, formerly of South Tyneside, and John Moore,
of Jarrow, are today behind bars for their part in the scam, which involved
taxi licenses from South Tyneside Council.

Seven more men and women from all across the borough are due to be
sentenced next month after admitting their involvement.

Five members of the 12-strong gang were jailed at Bournemouth Crown
Court for a total of five years and two months last week.

Moore, 41, of Fieldway, Hedworth, Jarrow, was jailed for 16 months.

South Tyneside Council was involved in the complex task of nailing the gang.

A web of bank and building society accounts stretched across North East
England, Dorset and Guernsey.

More than £167,000 was moved among the gang members using cheques
and cash.

The court was told how the scam came to light after 43-year-old Robinson,
who changed his name by deed poll and used three aliases, was arrested
at his home in Good Road, Poole, in September 2006 along with
accomplice Philip Fendley, of Wilson Road, Dorchester, when 1.5 tonnes of
tobacco were found in two vans.

A further stash of smuggled tobacco and 377,000 cigarettes were found in
storage units in Poole. The duty evaded was estimated at £236,000.

During searchs of Robinson's home, bundles of cash wrapped in clingfilm
stashed in the loft and in bedside cabinets.

One batch of £87,290 was discovered hidden in a cool bag under his bed.

At a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court last November, Robinson and
Fendley, along with Jaqueline Ridley and Joseph Michael Munroe were
found guilty on 12 counts.

It was during the trial that details of Robinson's buying and selling taxi
licences issued by South Tyneside Council came to light.

In January this year Moore, Melanie Wilson, 21, of Brodie Close,
Whiteleas, South Shields and Ann Pearce, 68, and Grant William Pearce,
42 both of Bamburgh Avenue, Horsley Hill, South Shields, pleaded guilty to
seven counts of criminal activity.

David Monroe and Carol Slesser, both 47 and of Bunyan Avenue Biddick
Hall, South Shields, pleaded guilty to the same seven counts at Dorchester
Crown Court on September 21, 2007.

Raymond Hayes, 49, of Wilton Gardens, Boldon Colliery, and Kevin
Jackson, 42, of Ede Avenue, Horsley Hill, have also admitted their part in
the scam.

All will be sentenced next month.

Coun Michael Clare, lead member for environment, housing and transport,
with South Tyneside Council, said today: "Our licensing section played a
key role in this complex case, with one officer providing crucial evidence
during the trial.

"Robinson was selling and hiring licence plates and then laundering the
money through licensees' accounts.

"This case demonstrates our commitment to working in partnership with
other agencies as part of our efforts to pursue and take action against
anyone who attempts to profit from illegal activities."

Andrew Pavlinic, HM Revenue and Customs assistant director for criminal
investigations in the south, said: "We have a duty to stop money being
diverted and stolen from the nation in what are often large scale and
ruthless attacks on the tax system.

"The sophistication of the organised crime gang behind this fraud meant
that our investigations were complex and involved working with other
government departments and local authorities.

"But we are committed to bringing the criminals responsible to justice and
to recovering the money stolen from the British taxpayer, wherever in the
world our investigations lead.

"This is not victimless crime, it is organised crime and it causes real harm."

Robinson was also found guilty of benefit fraud, for which he was
sentenced to a further 10 months.

Source: Shields Gazette
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No councillor, your council is/was complicit in the buying and selling of taxi plates, cos you restrict taxi numbers.

No quotas, no dirty money.

_________________
IDFIMH

And there has been no money laundering through minicab companies?

_________________
Former taxi driver

Shields taxi scam gang must repay £650,000 - or face jail


FOUR members of a money-laundering gang have been ordered to pay back criminal profits totalling £654,678 - or face a total of eight and half years in prison.

The two men and two women were members of a criminal gang of 12 sentenced last year for offences of money laundering, involving £332,000, and evasion of £236,000 in excise duty.

One gang member was also sentenced for housing benefit fraud.

Peter Robinson, 44, of Poole, Dorset, was ordered by Bournemouth Crown Court to repay £470,000. Failure to comply will result in a three-and-a-half-year jail sentence.

David Munroe, 48, of South Shields, Tyne & Wear, was ordered to repay £137,678, or face prison for three years, Carol Slesser, 48, also of South Shields, was ordered to repay £32,000 or serve 12 months, and Beatrice Ann Pearce, 68, also of South Shields, was ordered to repay £15,000 or face a 12-month jail term.

A fifth person, Joseph Munroe, 21, of Poole, Dorset, received a "nil" confiscation order, as the judge decided that he had not benefited from the proceeds of crime.

Andrew Pavlinic, HM Revenue & Customs Assistant Chief Investigation Officer, said: "These confiscations show our work, in partnership with the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO), doesn't stop when criminals are sentenced.

"Together we strive to reclaim their fraudulent profits and return the money to the public purse. We will not hesitate to bring this type of case before the courts.

"I would urge anyone with information about money laundering or excise fraud to call the Customs' Hotline on 0800 595000."

Explaining the HMRC operation, a spokeswoman said: "The gang leader, Peter Robinson, who had changed his name by deed poll and used three aliases, was arrested at his Poole home in September 2006, along with accomplice Philip Fendley, when 1.5 tonnes of tobacco were found in two vans.

"A further stash of tobacco and 377,000 cigarettes were found in storage units in Poole. The duty evaded on these items was estimated at £236,000, according to HMRC.

"Several bundles of cash, amounting to £126,000, were seized from Robinson's house.

"The cash was wrapped in clingfilm and hidden in the loft, bedside cabinets and under his bed in a coolbag.

"On 24 January 2008, this cash was ordered to be forfeited, by magistrates at Bristol, under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

"In a complex money laundering operation, involving bank and building society accounts in Dorset, North East England and Guernsey, some £332,000 was moved around between gang members.

"During the original HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) operation, details of housing benefit fraud and the buying and selling of taxi licences issued by South Tyneside Borough Council also came to light."

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin