Two men were sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday, September 30 after being previously found guilty of falsely claiming to be part of the Security Industry Authority (SIA) run Approved Contractor Scheme.
In March, Dean Campisi, of Alpha Place, Port Talbot and Stephen Bosher, of Longford Road, Neath were convicted after claiming that their security company, Secure Serve Facilities Management Services Limited (Secure Serve), was ACS accredited so as to maintain a security contract with the supermarket chain Lidl.
The court heard how Bosher, 32, and Campisi, 51, used fake documentation to secure and maintain a contract worth ยฃ15,000 a week. The retailer sought to cancel the contract after making enquiries with ACS assessors showing that Secure Serve was not ACS accredited. Campisi then began withdrawing funds from the business taking in excess of ยฃ145,000 in cash over five months.
The SIA made an application under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) to recover funds from Campisi, identifying monies received falsely from the Lidl contract. A POCA confiscation order was passed ordering Campisi to pay ยฃ80,000 within six months; failure to repay will lead to a prison sentence of 18 months.
Campisi was fined ยฃ1,000 for the offence and ordered to pay ยฃ1,000 towards prosecution costs. Recorder Ferris stated Campisiโs dishonest conduct demonstrated him โunfit to act as a company directorโ and passed a Director Disqualification Order lasting ten years.
For assisting the commission of an offence, Bosher was fined ยฃ1,000 and ordered to contribute ยฃ10,000 towards prosecution costs. Recorder Ferris stated that Bosher โintended to assist the company in holding itself out as an approved contractorโ through the production of โfake documentsโ.
Head of Investigation, Nathan Salmon, said after the court case: โThis is a significant prosecution by the SIA which seeks to protect the integrity of the Approved Contractor Scheme. Parties who claim to be approved should not benefit when they cannot demonstrate meeting the high standards of the scheme.
โIt was important that Mr Campisi was pursued under Proceeds of Crime legislation, to recover the benefit he gleaned from his actions. Both defendants have been dealt high penalties which reflect the seriousness which the Court placed upon their dishonest activities.
โThese proceedings demonstrate that the SIA will robustly pursue individuals who breach the law and is a good example of all security stakeholders coming together to provide the evidence of the crime. In particular I would like to thank staff from the SSAIB, our assessing body, and Lidl who played an important role in identifying the offence and supporting the SIA investigation.โ
For more about the Security Industry Authority or to sign up for email updates visit: www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk.
