One of HMRC’s top 20 most wanted tax fugitives was jailed for four-and-a-half years after he absconded the USA.
Computer company Clear Technology director Jonathan Nugent, 53, was charged with £5.5m VAT fraud in 1998, but escaped to California in 2000 while on bail.
The formerly Warrington-based director was named as one of the Revenue’s most wanted on their ‘Most Wanted’ list released last year.
Nugent was also linked to a £22m tax fraud.
Customs and Excise (now HMRC) officials proved Nugent and accomplices smuggled computer parts from Japan and Ireland into the UK between 1994 and 1998, therefore evading customs duty on importation and VAT on UK sales.
According to HMRC, Nugent’s role was central, as he recorded the smuggled goods into company records using fake invoices.
He then used these to support false VAT declarations, reducing VAT due to HMRC.
Nugent -- using the alias Newgent -- laundered the fraudulent profits by making large cash withdrawls or organising transfers to fake business accounts, with the money being transferred to Japan and Switzerland.
His co-conspirators were jailed for over 16 years in 2001, but Nugent absconded to the US using an Irish passport.
HMRC and US authorities worked together to track him down. He was deported from the US to Ireland on immigration offences, then back to the UK on a European arrest warrant to face trial.
Nugent was rearrested last year and pleaded guilty to his charges at Manchester Crown Court on 3 May.
HMRC assistant director of criminal investigation Mike O’ Grady said: “Today’s sentence demonstrates that we do not forget or give up on tax fraud cases, whatever the time lapse from offence to capture.
In October 2012, HMRC tracked down another top 20 tax fugitive, Timur Mehmet was found in Cyprus, but it is unknown whether he has been brought back to the UK yet.