A man has been sentenced to five years in jail after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud against Bet365, an online gambling company. Jon Howard of Tawney Lane, Stapleford Tawney was also convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud against Santander Bank.
Syndicate Bypasses Account Restrictions to Collect Bet365 Bonuses
The Basildon Crown Court heard how Jon Howard was part of a syndicate that created multiple online betting accounts to bypass the restrictions of a single account. According to court proceedings, individuals willingly provided their personal information to Howard, who subsequently impersonated them to gain access to Bet365 services.
By doing so, he collected bonuses that he would not have otherwise been entitled to. It was estimated that he received GPB236,000 ($294,369) over the course of the fraud, which dated back to 2008 and involved over 1,000 online betting accounts.
Howard was accused of being central to the criminal enterprise. This enabled him to utilize bonuses and bypass the company’s checks and balances.
Despite consistently denying the charges, Howard was convicted at the end of a four-week trial and was subsequently detained in custody until sentencing. However, Jon Howard was acquitted of the charge of money laundering.
Police Officer Describes Online Betting Fraud as ‘Dishonest and Deceptive’
Detective Sergeant Mike Monkton, Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, commented on the Bet365 case: “Betting online in someone else’s name is against the terms of use. The whole enterprise was dishonest and designed to deceive the gambling company.”
Monkton further described the investigation as lengthy and complex and said that it took some time to unravel. When the police executed a warrant at Howard’s address in Stapleford Tawney in February 2019, they found paperwork in different names, receipts for luxury items, bank books, and 177 sim cards that had been seized from the address. The police also discovered considerable sums of money.
Howard was not the sole individual to be apprehended, as two other co-defendants were also subjected to trial. Co-defendant Anna Nikolopoulos, 41, was found not guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and money laundering.
Another co-defendant, Daniel Gorman, 45, was cleared of money laundering but pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud against Santander Bank. Gorman was sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and must complete 100 hours of unpaid work.