Husband and wife sentenced for five years after stealing £87k to fund luxury shopping spree

By Toby Porter

A couple who used credit cards, cheques and false identities to pay for their luxury lifestyle – then complained about a cop who investigated them – have been jailed for a total of five years.

The couple, who lived in Queenstown Road, Wandsworth and Gatliff Road, Chelsea conspired together to commit at least a total fraud of £87,897, using fake documents to buy Rolex watches from luxury West End shops.

Emmanuel Scotts, 53, was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court to four years in prison while his wife Behnaz Scotts, 51, received a one year and eight months prison sentence suspended for two years.

The married couple pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and conspiracy to commit fraud following a successful investigation by the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), a specialist police unit funded by the banking and cards industry.

The couple opened numerous bank accounts in different names, using fake identification and doctored documents which gave false impressions of their wealth.

Mr Scotts falsely claimed to be a stockbroker while Mrs Scotts claimed she was a beautician, for which there was no evidence.

A total of six fraudulent accounts were opened in different names, which the criminals then used to deposit foreign cheques, one of which was for £81,000.

CCTV footage shows an individual using a debit card in the name of one of Mr Scotts’ fraudulent accounts buying several Rolex watches, worth over £36,000, at luxury watch shops on Bond Street and Oxford Street.

The fraud was spotted by their bank and referred to the DCPCU which investigated the case.

Mr Scotts was arrested on 15 April 2020 at Heathrow airport, and the DCPCU officer found Mr Scotts had in his luggage about £7,000 in euros, several credit cards, cheque books, and a bank statement showing a balance of £104,000.

The DCPCU also searched Mr Scotts’s home in Wandsworth, finding blank cheques and bank cards in other account names, as well as account details written down.

In an attempt to stall the investigation, Mr Scotts submitted a serious complaint against the DCPCU’s Detective Constable Martin Godsave. This was not upheld.

Detective Constable Martin Godsave, who investigated the case for the DCPCU, commented: “This husband and wife wrongfully thought they could get away with funding their lifestyle by committing fraud.

“Fortunately, we were able to detect these fraudsters by working closely with the bank to bring them to justice.

“This sentencing is a warning to those who believe they can benefit financially from fraud that they will be caught and punished.”