THREE men have been sentenced for stealing £5 million from the Welsh Government after an eight year investigation.
The culprits were sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court last Friday, with their actions resulting in the liquidation of numerous companies funded by Welsh Government grants.
Anthony Smith, described as the driving force behind the £5 million fraud, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.
Anthony Smith (Picture: South Wales Police)
Their accountant, Keith Peters, was sentenced to 15 months in prison. The third defendant, Colin Mair, received 21 months which is suspended for 18 months.
Keith Peters (Picture: South Wales Police)
Detective Chief Inspector, Nick Bellamy, of South Wales Police Economic Crime Unit said: “This sentencing marks the end of an eight year investigation by South Wales Police into the fraudulent activities of a number of grant-funded companies.
“This was a complex and detailed investigation by the force’s Economic Crime Unit into the conduct of the Port Talbot-based Dragon group of companies and individuals linked to them.
“Their dishonest use of public money was carried out by fraudulently claiming grant funding from the Welsh Government and European Union."
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“Investigating officers left no stone unturned to uncover the extent of the fraud and it is their dedication which has led to this successful outcome," added Mr Bellamy.
“The investigation also involved a large and successfully run disclosure exercise by the Economic Crime Unit and the CPS Specialist Fraud Division to ensure the defence were provided with disclosure of material that may assist their cases from about seven million items gathered from Welsh Government.
“The overwhelming amount of evidence gathered during this painstaking investigation has resulted in Anthony Smith, Colin Mair and Keith Peters being sentenced for their role in a fraud worth more than £5 million to the public purse.”
The judge commended South Wales Police Economic Crime Unit for their work in this case.
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