St Albans man and father jailed after fraud investigation

A St Albans man has been jailed for a fraud which led to a victim suffering a heart attack.

Adam George, 40, from Burleigh Road, and his 72-year-old father, Richard, of Hadley Grove, Barnet, laundered £120k through their bank accounts and the account of family friend Charles Jogi, aged 57, of Hill Close, Stanmore.

This was after conducting a fraudulent house sale where a property was sold for £250k without the owner’s knowledge.

Alan Mordey, from Herts Police’s Serious Fraud and Cybercrime Unit, said: “The house’s purchaser lost £250,000, which led him to have a heart attack after he found out he was a victim of the fraud. He thankfully survived.

“The fraudster used fake ID, verified by a solicitor, to get the housing deeds from the Land Registry. He used a different solicitor to conduct the sale. On the behest of Richard George, Adam George accepted the money into his company account and dispersed it as directed by his father.

“Of the £120,000, £110,000 was withdrawn in cash by the three of them and passed to an unknown third party.”

Adam George was sentenced to 15 months in prison and Richard George was sentenced to two years under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Charles Jogi, 57, was prosecuted under the same act and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and given a community order.

A police spokesman added: “The three who were convicted weren’t the ones who sold the house.

“The people who sold the house remain unidentified.”