Crime Solicitors

A fraudster from London has been ordered to pay back in excess of £300,000 after he sold non-existent tickets to a number of entertainment and sporting events including the Champions League Final and the Royal Variety Performance.

Samuel Ernest, 47, exploited hundreds of people by running a high profile corporate hospitality business under false pretences. The US citizen claimed to be an official provider of Olympic hospitality packages for the recent Games in the capital and used speed-dating sites to find women he could con.

Ernest managed to convince his victims that he had a large network of associates and contacts including celebrities. Kingston Crown Court also heard that he resold tickets he had won through ChildLine for the opening ceremony of London 2012 but did not pay the charity a single penny.

He was jailed for four and a half years earlier this year and ordered to pay back £308,380 at a separate hearing last week. Metropolitan Police Detective superintendent Nick Downing said about the case following the latest hearing:

“He is an audacious confidence trickster with no feeling for his victims, including those women whose emotions he exploited to get their money. This confiscation order is an example to others that if you're making money from crime, we won't stop at convicting you, we'll also come after your cash.”

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