Organised crime gang sentenced for £208,000 ‘fake’ roofing work scam | UK | News

An organized crime gang that damaged roofs and then demanded exorbitant fees for repair work was sentenced to a total of 13 years and 6 months in prison. Eight members of the gang were behind the scam, which attempted to defraud vulnerable residents out of £208,000. Their victims lost more than £133,000 in total as they were blamed for unnecessary and overly expensive roofing work and in some cases even forced to pay for damage deliberately caused to roofs by fraudsters before demanding payment to ‘fix it’.

Gang leader Arthur Draper, 41, and his accomplices John Smith, 45, of Newark, Nottinghamshire, and Jake Garrigan, 29, of Thorne, Doncaster, ran the dodgy business and were convicted of offenses under the Fraud Act 2006 at Leicester Crown Court earlier this year. They were also found guilty of money laundering under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Jason Moore, 44, another suspect in the case and alleged labourer, failed to appear in court and remains at large and wanted by Leicestershire Police.

Between November 2019 and March 2020, fraudsters targeted vulnerable, often elderly or disabled, residents of their homes in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Staffordshire, cold-calling them and claiming work was needed on their property to repair minor roofing issues, which in some cases did not exist. Once they had identified their victims, the gang would pressure them into agreeing to more work, sometimes by deliberately damaging the property, often the roof, leaving it unsafe and vulnerable to the weather.

Due to the tactic of identifying low-cost remediation work, various standard practices such as rest periods, contracts, or other paperwork were not offered or provided. Fraudsters also disguised their identities by using fake names, addresses, different company IDs and phone numbers.

The work was carried out to low standards and the fees charged were extremely high. Many homeowners have had to spend thousands of pounds on legitimate builders to fix damage caused by fraudsters and a property has been left uninhabitable by fraudsters. Victims also reported being subjected to hostile and intimidating behavior from the gang as they questioned them about rising costs and missing work.

The criminal group had a network of associates consisting of six family members and friends whose bank accounts they used to launder proceeds from fraudulent activities. Adam Pegg, 41, from Leicester, Natasha Power, 44, from Leicester, Colin Bell, 55, from Doncaster, Bradley Freeman, 25, from Doncaster and Wendy Pegg, 59, from Leicester, were found guilty of money laundering under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Arthur Draper was sentenced to six years and four months in prison, while John William Smith was sentenced to 22 months behind bars and two years suspended.

Jake Garrigan, Adam Pegg and Natasha Power were sentenced to 14 months in prison and suspended for 2 years, while Colin Bell and Bradley Freeman were sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for 12 months.

Wendy Pegg was given a 16-month probation sentence suspended for 18 months.

The eight defendants were prosecuted following an investigation by the National Trading Standards Regional Investigation Team East Midlands, hosted by Nottinghamshire County Council, which supports Trading Standards Authorities in the region. Additional support was received in bringing the case from Leicester Police, Leicestershire County Council Trading Standards, Derbyshire County Council Trading Standards, Lincolnshire County Council Trading Standards and Nottingham City Council.

Lord Michael Bichard, chairman of National Trading Standards, said: “Trading Standards officers have exposed and stopped criminals who use lies and deception to gain access to properties and defraud people of thousands of pounds. On occasion criminals have deliberately sabotaged homes they have been paid to repair, in one case even sawing off a completely intact part of the roof and throwing it to the ground. This investigation has prevented further damage, protected vulnerable people and sent a clear message that further such cruel behavior must not be tolerated.

“If you suspect that you or someone you know may be the target of such a scam, you should report it to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.”

Councilor Dawn Justice, Nottinghamshire County Council Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health, said: “We would like to thank all the victims who worked with our investigators to help prosecute these unscrupulous fraudsters. These sentences send a strong message to fraudsters that such activity will not be tolerated.”

“We always advise residents to be wary of cold calls, never trade or buy on the door, and always report any concerns. If something doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t, and you should never be afraid to close the door on scammers and those who appear out of the blue to offer you services you don’t need.”