A husband and wife from Chelsea, who committed £87,897 of fraud have been sentenced at Inner London Crown Court. Mr Emmanuel Scotts, 53, was sentenced to four years in prison while Mrs Behnaz Scotts, 51, received a one year and eight months prison sentence suspended for two years. Mr Scotts was convicted on conspiracy and fraud charges whereas Mrs Scott was convicted on fraud and money laundering charges. The married couple pleaded guilty following a successful investigation by the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), a specialist police unit funded by the banking and cards industry.

The couple opened numerous bank accounts in different names, using fake identification and doctored documents which gave false impressions of their wealth. Mr Scotts claimed to be a stockbroker while Mrs Scotts claimed she was a beautician. A total of six fraudulent accounts were opened in different names, which the criminals then used to deposit cheques, one of which was for £81,000. CCTV footage shows an individual using a debit card in the name of one of Mr Scotts? fraudulent accounts purchasing several Rolex watches, worth over £36,000, at luxury watch shops on Bond Street and Oxford Street. 

The fraud was spotted by their bank and referred to the DCPCU which investigated the case. Mr Scotts was arrested on 16 October 2018 at Heathrow airport, and following a search of his luggage, the DCPCU officer found Mr Scotts in possession of approximately £7,000 in euros, several credit cards, cheque books, and a bank statement showing a balance of £104,000. The DCPCU also searched Mr Scotts's home address in Wandsworth, finding blank cheques and bank cards in other account names, as well as account details written down. 

Detective Constable Martin Godsave, who investigated the case for the DCPCU, commented:

This husband and wife wrongfully thought they could get away with funding their lifestyle by committing fraud.

?Fortunately, we were able to detect these fraudsters by working closely with the bank to bring them to justice.

?This sentencing is a warning to those who believe they can benefit financially from fraud that they will be caught and punished.?