The founder of a well-known male stripping group, Dreamboys, has been jailed, along with his associate, for a series of tax and benefit frauds totalling more than £350,000
Barry Solomons, 71, otherwise known as Bari Bacco, failed to declare £219,000 of income to HMRC between the years 2007-13, resulting in the evasion of £57,000 in income tax.
During this time his business partner, Laurel Goodman, 55, evaded £114,000 in income tax on earnings of £402,000.
The tax fraud was revealed following an investigation carried out by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), which found that Solomons had fraudulently claimed unemployment, sickness and housing benefits worth £117,000 and Goodman had gotten away with £5,500.
In a HMRC investigation it was revealed that Solomons had never registered for tax, while Goodman dropped out of the tax system in 1995.
Solomons was sentenced to 28 months in prison and Goodman, who failed to appear at court, was sentenced to 28 months in prison in her absence.
Martin Brown, assistant director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: ‘Solomons and Goodman not only failed to pay the income tax they owed but also claimed financial support meant for those in genuine need. They were a pair of cheats who supported their extravagant lifestyles with unpaid taxes and stolen benefits.
‘The sentence is an excellent example of government departments working together to bring before the courts those who rip-off the taxpayer.’
