A fraudster enjoyed 52 holidays in nine years and spent £30k on his golf hobby thanks to swindling more than £1m from tax authorities.
Nicholas Duffy, 59, made false VAT repayment claims through his company Market Mobility, which specialised in mobility aids.
Duffy, from Worcester Road, Bootle, claimed nearly £1.4 million from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) over a nine-year period from 2010 to 2019, with the money being used to fund his love of holidays, football and golf.
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Duffy took 52 holidays in nine years, including eight visits to New York, and he made eight trips to Europe in 2016. He also spent more than £30,000 on golf, £27,000 on jewellery and £17,000 on tickets to Everton and Manchester United football games.
An examination of Market Mobility's accounts revealed it was simply a vehicle for fraud. The company never genuinely traded and Duffy was listing non-existent sales and purchases to make fraudulent VAT repayment claims.
In his defence, Duffy claimed he needed the money because he was being pursued by loan sharks over his spiralling gambling debts. However, this only accounted for around £200,000 from the overall figure of £1,395,994 he falsely claimed in VAT repayments.
Duffy appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced after pleading guilty to two charges of VAT fraud and of money laundering. He was jailed for a total of 40 months, of which he will serve half in custody and the remainder of his sentence on licence in the community.
HMRC will seek to recover the stolen money through a confiscation order.
Tim Atkins, assistant director at HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service, said: "Nicholas Duffy committed fraud to fund a lifestyle that was out of his reach. He spent vast sums of stolen money on foreign holidays and thought it was acceptable for the law abiding, tax paying majority to pick up the tab.
“No crime is victimless. Tax crime robs our vital public services of much-needed funds. Anyone who wishes to report suspected fraud to HMRC should search 'Report Fraud HMRC' on GOV.UK and complete the online form."
Ben Reid, specialist prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: "Nicholas Duffy lied to steal more than £1m from taxpayers in order to fuel his own greed and lavish lifestyle. Justice has been served to Duffy thanks in part to the work of HMRC and our prosecutors which resulted in him being sent to prison for fraud."
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