LONDON, June 19 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
Today, the SFO securedanadditional£491,967.97upliftto the2009confiscation order against Alan Edwin Gardner, 57, after uncoveringadditionalassets.
Gardner defraudeda number ofoverseas investorsthrougha fictitious investment scheme targeting Britishexpatsby falselyclaiming their money was being invested through reputable Swiss bank UBS AG.
Gardner was convicted in June 2009 after an SFO investigationrevealed how he had persuaded investors, members of the expatriate community in Jakarta, to hand over their savings on the false promise of generous, and in some cases guaranteed, returns.While investors believed their money was growing, thefundswerein reality spentby Gardner on personal expenditure or used to offset betting losses.
SFO investigators recently uncovered that Gardner hadacquiredadditional assets since his original confiscation order was made, including equity in two UK properties, luxuryvehiclesanda number ofbank accounts. The SFO acted swiftly to recoverthese, and thefunds will go back to the public purse.
Gardner was sentenced to six years'imprisonmentby Worcester Crown Court in June 2009. The SFO has already secured £186,151.16 through a previous confiscation order, which Gardner paid in full.
Paul Napper, Head of Proceeds of Crime and International Assistance Division at the SFO, said:
Alan Gardner exploited the trust ofBritishpeoplefar from home, convincing them their savings were in safe hands while he spentevery penny. A conviction is never the end of the road for the SFO, and ourproceeds of crime teamwill always make surecrime never pays.
Press Office
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