In this month’s roundup of cases and disqualifications, trainee accountant sentenced for £30K VAT fraud, first fine for accountant under The Pension Regulator’s enrolment rules, director banned for failing to keep company records and Somerset man jailed for £650K VAT fraud
Trainee accountant sentenced for £30K VAT fraud
An HMRC investigation has found that a trainee accountant produced fake invoices between two businesses to fraudulently reclaim more than £30,000 in VAT.
HMRC discovered that Keiron Edmondson submitted 12 invoices for VAT for transfers from his company, Blocks Toy Store, to his wife’s businesses, submitting the forms through the company he was working for while he was working towards accountancy qualifications. He then reclaimed £30,952 in VAT.
In an attempt to disguise the fraud, he then moved money between his and his wife’s bank accounts on multiple occasions.
Edmondson admitted VAT fraud and money laundering at Preston Crown Court and was sentenced on 11 October 2018 to 12 months for VAT offences and eight months for money laundering, suspended for 18 months. He is also required to complete 200 hours of unpaid community work within the next 12 months.
