Travellers sentenced for massive tax and benefits scam - Gloucestershire

From the Citizen News

Five members of the same family have been sentenced today following an investigation started by Gloucestershire Constabulary more than five years ago.

The investigation – codenamed Operation Sheffield Empire – involved over 200 officers at its peak, drawn from five police forces, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Husband and wife John and Brigid Coffey, as well as their children Michael, Mary and Helen were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court today after pleading guilty to tax evasion totalling £500,000 and other fraud offences.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Shorrock, who led the investigation for Gloucestershire Constabulary, said: "The sentencing of the Coffey family marks the culmination of many years of work by literally hundreds of officers and officials.

"This family had been engaging in questionable financial and business activities for many years, until we collectively caught up with them.

"I'd like to thank all the agencies who worked with us on this case and hope the end result acts as a salient warning to anyone else considering engaging in this type of activity.

"This joined up working is evidence, should any be needed, of our ability to pull together with other agencies on cross border and wide ranging, complicated financial investigations in an effort to tackle serious criminality."

Simon De Kayne, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation, HM Revenue & Customs said: "The Coffeys blatantly evaded UK tax laws to selfishly steal around £500,000 of taxpayers' money to fund their criminally gained lifestyles and expanding property portfolio.



"The sentencing shows HMRC, along with our partner agencies, will not only pursue and prosecute tax fraudsters but also seek to reclaim the proceeds of their crimes. Anyone with information about tax fraud should contact the Tax Evasion Hotline on 0800 788 887."



The Coffey family consists of John, 49, Brigid, 51, Mary, 28, Helen 26, and Michael, 23. The family – who also use other names including Delaney and Kennedy - owns and has lived at a number of properties, including two farms in Peterstone Wentlooge, Cardiff, a house in West Drayton in Middlesex, and two houses in Rumney, Cardiff.

John Coffey was jailed for two years nine months. His children received 12 months, suspended for 18 months and 200 hours unpaid work, except his wife, who must do 100 hours.

At the time the investigation started the family owned and used two plots at the Mount View Caravan Site, in Naas Lane, Brookthorpe, near Gloucester.

During the course of the investigation all of these addresses were searched and various items were seized, however much of the investigation centred on financial activity.

This included close investigation of the accounts relating to the family's business interests - they ran companies called B & B Welsh Paving and Sunset Drives and Landscapes Ltd, which provided driveway resurfacing services. The latter was set up as a front to deliberately conceal the true extent of their business revenues from HMRC. They failed to notify HMRC and falsely notified HMRC of the true extent of their incomes.

Family bank accounts showed vast turnovers of money, but only John and Michael declared an income of around £250 a week – between them. The remainder of the family seemingly relied on benefits. In fact they were all directly or indirectly involved in the family's resurfacing and block paving business.

Investigations also centred on the large amount of property owned by the family, mostly paid for by cash or banker's draft with no mortgages, and on benefits claimed by the three women.

In April 2009 the family members were charged with offences, including cheating the public revenue, benefit fraud and money laundering.

A number of court appearances followed and in 2010 guilty pleas were entered to 20 charges as follows:

On December 3 2010 John Coffey and Michael Coffey pleaded guilty to:

• Two counts of fraudulently taking steps to divert money from HM Treasury or to deprive HM Treasury of money to which it was entitled.

On December 17 2010 John Coffey pleaded guilty to:

• Two counts of knowingly using a false Irish driving licence in the name John Delaney to prove his identity to a solicitor acting in the transfer of properties.

On December 3 2010 Brigid Coffey pleaded guilty to:

• One count of making a false statement to obtain Income Support, the false statement being that she had no savings capital or assets;

• Two counts of making false statements to obtain housing and council tax benefit; and

• Two counts of making a false statement to obtain a Social Fund Budgeting Loan, the false statements being that she had no savings or assets.

On December 3 2010 Mary Coffey pleaded guilty to:

• One count of making a false statement to obtain Income Support, the false statement being that she had no savings capital or assets;

• Two counts of making false statements to obtain housing and council tax benefit;

• One count of making a false statement to obtain a Social Fund Community Care Grant, the false statement being that she had no savings or other income, and that she urgently needed to pay her landlord two months' rent in advance; and

• Three counts of making false statements to obtain a Social Fund Budgeting Loan, the false statements being that she had no savings or assets.

On December 3 2010 Helen Coffey pleaded guilty to:

• In respect of an ongoing claim for income support, failing to notify the DWP of her acquisition of banks accounts with positive balances, and the fact that she was married; and

• Making a false statement to obtain a Social Fund Budgeting Loan, the false statement being that she had no savings or assets;

In June 2010 Helen Coffey pleaded guilty to:

• Two counts of providing the false name Helen Delaney to Cardiff Magistrates Court in October 2005 and April 2006 in order to avoid being convicted of driving offences in her correct name Helen Coffey, and to keep her driving licence in that name clean.



The police forces involved in the investigation were Gloucestershire Constabulary, South Wales Police, Gwent Police, Avon and Somerset Police, and the Metropolitan Police. Some of the financial investigations were conducted through Zephyr – the South West regional crime team set up to deal with serious and organised crime.



HM Revenue & Customs led the tax fraud investigation and the Department for Work and Pensions were also heavily involved, as were the Complex Case Unit and Central Fraud Group of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Stroud District Council also assisted with the investigation, when it initially centred on the Mountview Caravan site at Naas Lane, Brookthorpe.

£500,000 has been restrained from the family's 29 bank accounts. Today John Coffey was ordered to repay £450,000 within the next six months. Michael Coffey will have to repay £50,000 within the next six months.

A further £100,000 approximately in benefits and housing allowance is also to be the subject of a future compensation hearing.

The defendants were also ordered to pay prosecution and defence costs.

see also The Daily Star - £100K BIG FAT GYPSY SPONGERS

The Telegraph - Gypsy family made £2m and dodged £500,000 tax