Pair sentenced for 'significant' money laundering

Two men have been sentenced following their part in a fraud that led to a Wiltshire pensioner paying out £406,975.

Keith Kenneth Ball, 63, was jailed for 45 months, with Oleksandr Romashyn, 35, sentenced to a 21-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

The fraud began with the 81-year-old victim being approached about his gutters being cleaned.

Judge Mr Rec Gibney told Mr Ball: "You have ruined this gentleman’s latter years.”

Portsmouth Crown Court heard on Wednesday that in June 2018, the Chippenham resident was cold-called by two men who said they were in the area cleaning gutters and offered to carry out similar work on his property.

He was told the work would cost about £4,500.

Once it began however, the homeowner was told the work needed was considerably more extensive and could end up costing between £100,000-£150,000.

He was charged £148,000 in total.

The victim was then told that damp had been discovered in his loft, requiring further work.

Over the next three months, he wrote cheques totalling £406,975 to Pridenorth Limited, of which Mr Ball, from Essex, is the sole company director.

In January 2021, the victim was visited by a man claiming to be the head of Trading Standards, who claimed they were investigating the rogue traders.

The man then went to his bank, where staff realised he had been a victim of fraud.

A surveyor engaged by Wiltshire Council worked out the man's roof did not need to be replaced, but if it had been, it should have cost in the region of £4,000.

In December 2023, Romashyn from London, was found guilty of laundering £19,700 associated with the work.

Ball admitted laundering the full £406,000 contrary to the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Dominic Muns, said: "This was a serious case of fraud, that saw a vulnerable elderly man pay out a significant sum of money."

Neither man has provided any information which could help identify the people who carried out the work, Cllr Muns added.

The Trading Standards team is undertaking a Proceeds of Crime investigation against both males to try and obtain compensation for the victim.

Assets of £130,000 belonging to Ball were identified and he has three months to pay this as compensation to the victim or will serve an additional 18 months in prison.

If anyone believes they might be caught up in money laundering, they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, Cllr Muns said.