A Londoner who claimed to run a multi-million pound business from his flat has been jailed for three years for stealing almost £350,000 worth of VAT fraud.
Neil Lesfrance was arrested by HMRC in September 2012 when an investigation into his tax affairs revealed he had made false VAT returns to claim repayments that weren’t due.
When HMRC officers visited Lesfrance in March 2009, to verify his VAT returns for Wembley-based firm Paramount Enterprises, he plied them with forged documents.
These included purchase invoices for items he claimed to be retailing such as photocopiers and large display screens, and bank statements showing a credit of over £2 million, to give the impression he was running a successful business. The true balance in his bank account varied from £200 to being overdrawn.
Lesfrance was asked to provide further business records, but he said these had been stolen from the boot of his car and that his stock had been stolen from his one bedroom rented flat.
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