Officers from North Yorkshire Police are celebrating the successful conclusion to a long running fraud enquiry with the jailing of the offender.
Following his conviction for fraud on Friday 2 July, 49-yr-old Anthony Lee from Goole was today jailed for five years for the offence. Lee stole £1m from a property dealer in a bogus deal to sell The Ritz hotel in London for more than £250m.
The case was referred to North Yorkshire Police, via the High Court and through the Insolvency Agency in April 2008, as Lee was based in North Yorkshire at the time.
Detective Sergeant Garry Ridler, of the force’s Major Fraud Investigation Team, said: “The length of the sentence given to Lee reflects the seriousness of the offences he committed.
“Lee was a typical fraudster. He convinced his victim that his claims were legitimate and then obtained money from him on a number of occasions.
“I am very pleased with the sentence which is just and fair.”
Detective Inspector Ian Wills, also of the force’s Major Fraud Investigation Team, said: “This was a long and complicated enquiry which Garry conducted by himself.
“The judge’s commendation that Garry has been given is a clear endorsement of the painstaking investigation he undertook.”
