Gang jailed for £6m tax scam

A gang of six Eastern Europeans who stole £6 million through fraudulent self assessment tax returns have been jailed for a total of 33 years at Croydon Crown Court.

The Russian and Belarusian gang ran a series of companies offering accountancy services to Easter European workers but hijacked their identity to submit 3,000 fraudulent self assessment tax returns over a four year period.

HMRC found over £130,000 in cash and £380,000 of payable orders from HMRC when it arrested ringleaders Youri Khomitch and Victoria Chambers, who are also married. The frauds allowed Khomitch and Chambers to buy £2 million of property and live a luxurious lifestyle. The £2 million assets of the gang have been frozen while confiscations proceedings have begun.

‘This was an organised criminal attack on the public purse. This gang stole identities and exploited innocent citizens with no regard for the consequences. They were solely motivated by greed,’ said Peter Hollier, assistant director of criminal investigations for HMRC.

‘Tax fraud is not a victimless crime it takes money away from vital public services, and HMRC is determined to make the perpetrators of these crimes face the full force of the law,’ said Hollier.

The gang included:

• Youri Khomitch (DOB 26/09/74) of Hollandbury Park, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, sentenced to seven years for cheating the Public Revenue
• Victoria Lvovna Chambers (DOB 26/05/73) of Hollandbury Park, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, sentenced to four years for cheating the Public Revenue
• Oleksandra Hawkins (DOB 27/06/68) of The Roundway, Tottenham, London, sentenced to two years for cheating the Public Revenue
• Alexander Sokolovski (DOB 07/04/60)  of Boxwood Close, West Drayton, sentenced to five years for cheating the Public Revenue
• Roman Kuznetsov (DOB 19/11/79), address unknown, sentenced to eight years for cheating the Public Revenue
• Vjacheslav Dostenko (DOB 13/10/67) of Forset Court, 140 Edgware Road, London, sentenced to seven years for cheating the Public Revenue