An illegal Ukrainian immigrant and a former high street bank employee, who organised a £3.2m self assessment tax fraud, were jailed on April 8 after a lengthy investigation by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
Oleg Rozputnii was sentenced to three years and nine months imprisonment, and Nikola Novakovic was sentenced to three years and three months imprisonment at Harrow Crown Court. Rozputnii is also subject to automatic deportation.
Oleg Rozputnii, 28, of no fixed abode and Nikola Novakovic, 34, from North London, registered over 1,050 fictitious taxpayers on the Income Tax Self Assessment system. They swindled tax repayments using over 200 false bank accounts to commit the fraud. Between January 2008 and September 2010 they stole £3.2m in the scam.
The money was withdrawn from cash points or was transferred through a web of linked accounts set up by the fraudsters. Rozputnii used numerous false identities to help commit the fraud and conceal his involvement, whilst living illegally in the UK. He also arranged for some of the financial proceeds to be transferred back to the Ukraine.
Their accomplice Dmytro Shepel, 26, a Ukrainian, also from London, was jailed for three and a half years at Woolwich Crown Court in August 2010, for his part in the fraud. He will be deported upon release.
Upon sentencing, Mr Recorder Singh QC said: "This was a sophisticated and orchestrated fraud ", adding that Novakovic "had abused his position with the bank."
Joe Rawbone, Assistant Director of HMRC Criminal Investigation said after the case: "These men ran an audacious scam stealing millions of pounds. They set up hundreds of false bank accounts using viruses to hack into personal computers to gain information. They used their illegal profits to fund lavish lifestyles buying performance cars, including Porches, Mercedes and Jaguars. HMRC takes tax fraud extremely seriously and we will recover any financial gain from this criminal activity."
Both men pleaded guilty to ‘Cheating the Public Revenue’ at a hearing in March and were sentenced at Harrow Crown Court.
