Thread: Conman Jailed For £250m Ritz Sale Scam

A jobless lorry driver has been sentenced to five years in jail for an "elaborate and outrageous scam" to sell the Ritz for £250m.


Anthony Lee claimed he was a close friend of the owners




Penniless Anthony Lee found a victim interested in buying the famous hotel and sucked him into handing over a £1m down payment, Southwark Crown Court heard.


Lee convinced potential buyer Terence Collins that he was a "close friend and associate" of the reclusive billionaire Barclay brothers, owners of the prestigious hotel in Piccadilly.


But Sir Frederick and Sir David Barclay had never heard of Lee and were unaware he was claiming to be able to sell the landmark building from under their noses.


Mr Collins asked Dutch billionaire Marcus Boekhoorn to finance the £1m payment in December 2006.


He told him the reclusive Barclay brothers had "secretive reasons" for selling the hotel through a third party.


But the sale never happened and the money was never returned, the jury heard.




Lee told the court he was simply a "straight-talking Yorkshire man"



Lee, from Goole in East Yorkshire, claimed in court that the £1m payment related to a separate property deal he had with Mr Collins.


The court heard Mr Collins agreed to refer to the payment as an introductory fee for a deal in Flaxby, North Yorkshire, "for accounting reasons".


However, Mr Boekhoorn, who lent him the money, knew nothing about it.
Lee, who was bankrupt, had a police caution for theft and was behind with his rent at the time of the scam, insisted he was just a "straight-talking Yorkshireman".


But Judge Stephen Robbins told him: "This con or scam or sting, whatever term is used, was probably motivated by your mistaken belief that Terry Collins had deprived you of another potentially lucrative property deal and it may be that this offence was done out of revenge."


Sentencing the 49-year-old, Judge Robbins described the offence as an "elaborate and outrageous scam".


http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-...tel_For_%3F250

One born every minute.

5 years for a 1m con, then two guys get 2 years each for killing a bloke in front of his grand child, caught on cctv, yeah seems fair does it not, GB at its best.

Originally Posted by English Noodles

The court heard Mr Collins agreed to refer to the payment as an introductory fee for a deal in Flaxby, North Yorkshire, "for accounting reasons".

Methinks the real conman is Collins who took Mr Boekhoorn for his One Million, Lee is just taking the fall and hoping his 1/2 mil share is still waiting for him when he comes out of prison

Originally Posted by English Noodles

Lee told the court he was simply a "straight-talking Yorkshire man"

Probably got one month for the con, and 4 years 11 months for the above statement (quite right too!).

Originally Posted by meepho

5 years for a 1m con, then two guys get 2 years each for killing a bloke in front of his grand child, caught on cctv, yeah seems fair does it not, GB at its best.

Those two got 3.5 years and 4.5 years, but I agree, they should have been jailed for life.