£150,000 tax fraud accountant faces jail
Chartered accountant faces jail term over £153,000 tax fraud
A NOTTINGHAMSHIRE-BASED ACCOUNTANT has been jailed after an investigation conducted by HM Revenue & Customs found he had claimed fraudulent expenses totalling £153,000.
Ronald Moncrieff claimed fictitious expenses in his own tax returns as well as falsifying returns on behalf of his wife and son. He also claimed expenses for work by subcontractors when in fact he never employed any.
A raid of his premises in October 2012 uncovered documents showing that for seven years Moncrieff had overstated his expenses and understated his sales to reduce his tax liability.
He was sentenced to 18 months in prison by His Honour Judge Milmo at Nottingham Crown Court, who told Moncrieff he “only has himself to blame”.
He pleaded guilty to charges of completing false tax returns of £153,000 plus £18,000 interest.
Moncrieff has already paid back £65,000, while confiscation proceedings are underway to recover the remainder.
HMRC assistant director of investigation Gary Lampon said: “Moncrieff abused his position of trust as a chartered accountant and exploited his family by using their names in a bid to conceal the fraud. He may have thought that his professional knowledge made his criminal activity undetectable, but he was wrong.”