A Londonderry accountant, who was jailed for 19 fraud and tax offences, including stealing from a client, has been ordered to pay back more than £110,000 or face a further five years in prison
James Heaney was jailed for 12 months in October 2015 after an investigation by HMRC. At the time, he was found to have collected VAT repayments from his client, falsified the VAT return paying a smaller amount to HMRC and pocketing the difference.
Heaney kept over £55,000 in VAT repayments and used the money to buy a property. HMRC officers also discovered that Heaney, who worked as an accountant in the city centre, had fraudulently claimed tax credits as a handyman receiving over £14,000 to which he was not entitled.
Heaney pleaded guilty to 19 charges in June and September 2015. He was sentenced to 12 months in jail on each count to run concurrently, six months custodial and six months on licence, when he appeared at Londonderry Crown Court in October 2015.
Now Heaney has been served with a confiscation order for £111,245 which he has three months to pay in full. If he fails to pay up, he will serve a default prison sentence of five years and still owe the money.
