Former owners of a Maidenhead car dealership have been sentenced for fraudulently reclaiming £86,000 in VAT payments from HMRC
Charles Mogford, 53, and Julia Smith, 51, submitted a false purchase invoice to HMRC in an attempt to reclaim more VAT than what was due.
They submitted a VAT claim for the purchase of 331 Land Rovers however the real invoice was only for two.
Mogford was jailed for two years and disqualified from being a director for 10 years.
Smith was handed an 18 month sentence, suspended for two years, as well as being disqualified from being a company director for eight years and having to complete 180 hours of unpaid work.
Upon sentencing Mogford, Her Honour Judge Cutts QC, said: ‘You had the leading role in this offence.’ Adding, she ‘believed that he had doctored the invoice.’
The pair were directors of Auto Exporters UK Limited, which traded as Berkshire Land Rovers until July 2014.
The £86,000 has been repaid to HMRC.
Anthony Swarbrick, assistant director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: ‘Mogford and Smith had traded legitimately, but greed led them to commit VAT fraud. Our message is clear - it is simply not acceptable to steal from the tax system and, ultimately, honest UK taxpayers.’
