Disgraced Fleetwood Town owner Andy Pilley has been sentenced to 13 years behind bars after being found guilty of fraud totalling £15m.
The 53-year-old learnt of his punishment at Preston crown court on Tuesday afternoon having been convicted in May of four offences relating to mis-selling energy contracts to small businesses and charities.
But the League One club insists that it will continue to operate as normal despite their owner being jailed and they are in discussions with the EFL about what happens next.
“Fleetwood Town Football Club acknowledges the sentencing in the court case involving former club chairman Andy Pilley,” a Fleetwood spokesperson said.
“The club would like to reiterate [the] convictions are against individuals and not Fleetwood Town FC, or any of the businesses associated with them, and will continue to operate as normal.
“Fleetwood Town remain in communication with the EFL and will be making no further comment at this time.”
The EFL previously said that it will "discuss the implications of the decision with officials at the club in the context of the Owners' and Directors' Test."
Pilley took over Fleetwood in 2004 with the club in the North West Counties League and oversaw its gradual progress into the third tier. He stepped down as chairman when found guilty of the offences on May 22.
The case was brought by the National Trading Standards office, who argued during an eight-month trial that Pilley was part of a group behind "a web of interconnected companies that misled innocent small businesses across the UK" into signing long-term energy contracts between 2014 and 2016.
Pilley was found guilty of two counts of running a business with the intention of defrauding creditors alongside his sister Michelle Davidson, 49, and two others. He was also convicted of one charge of false representation and another of being concerned with the retention of criminal property.
They were accused of targeting charities that cared for children and disabled people.
Michael Bichard, chairman of National Trading Standards, said: "Small business owners were deliberately deceived and locked in to contracts that were long-term and expensive, leaving many businesses struggling to pay the bills and sadly driving some business owners into making the difficult decision to cease trading.
"This is not a victimless crime - small business owners have lost vast sums of money to this fraud and many businesses have gone under."
