Jail for £85m conmen who lived it up with private jet and yachts

 
24 July 2013
WEST END FINAL

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The lavish lifestyle of a gang of conmen who ripped off thousands of victims in one of the UK’s biggest investment frauds can be revealed today.

Richard Pope, Paul Gunter and Simon Odoni splashed stolen money on sports cars, yachts, Caribbean holiday homes and even a private jet, while some of their targets were left penniless.

They were at the centre of an international crime gang that swindled £85 million from 2,300 UK citizens, many losing their entire life savings. One victim was driven to suicide.

The fraud began in 2004 when the men, using the names of dormant US companies, set up a network of “boiler rooms” in Spain, employing hundreds of people to cold call investors and trick them into buying worthless shares.

Most of the victims were retired professionals whose losses ranged from a few hundred pounds to £1 million. The cash was then funnelled into US bank accounts for the three crooks.

Pope and Odoni, from St Albans, and Gunter, from Brentford, amassed an array of top cars including a Ferrari, speedboats, a £350,000 plane and 26 properties. But they were finally brought to justice after a seven-year transatlantic investigation involving the City of London Police and law enforcement agencies from Spain to Florida.

At a Florida court Gunter, 64, was sentenced to 25 years in jail. Odoni, 56, got 13 years and four months, while Pope, 55, was given four years and nine months.

Police said Odoni had hidden in the Dominican Republic to avoid extradition, but was caught when a flight he was on suffered engine trouble and had to divert to Miami where he was arrested. The men’s thousands of victims included Mark Goswami, who took his own life after he was defrauded of more than £70,000.

His widow Andrea, 48, from Yorkshire, said: “I’m very, very angry, and no sentence in my eyes will be long enough for what they’ve done. They defrauded whole families, just destroyed their dreams.”

Detective Inspector Kerrie Gower from the City of London Police, who led the investigation, said the trio “are probably the most arrogant criminals I’ve come across”.

Pope pleaded guilty in 2011 to conspiracy to commit fraud. Gunter and Odoni were found guilty after a trial, which meant three British victims had to fly from the UK to Florida to face them in court.

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