Published: Friday 15 December 2023
A builder who defrauded his client on their £700,000 home refurbishment has been jailed for four years following a prosecution brought by Kensington and Chelsea Council.
Jimmy Lee, director of Myint Construction Ltd., was prosecuted for fraud and deception after a three-year investigation by Trading Standards officers. Mr Lee pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraudulent trading contrary to s.993(1) of the Companies Act 2006. After a 3-week trial Mr Lee was found guilty of all charges before him.
Appearing at Southwark Crown Court today (Friday 15 December), Mr Lee was sentenced to four years in prison and disqualified from being a company director for eight years.
What criminal activities were carried out?
The builder defrauded his client who resides in the borough after undertaking a building contract through deception by fabricating references and issuing false invoices. He provided misleading information about timeframes and delays, leaving the property in disrepair and unfinished.
In January 2020, the Council’s Trading Standards team were made aware of Mr Lee’s conduct and deceptive trading practices. Officers acted on it and successfully investigated the case to uncover his criminal activity.
The Trading Standards team will now be considering any proceeds of crime obtained as a result of Mr Lee’s criminality.
Cllr Cem Kemahli, Lead Member for Planning and Public Realm said:
“Cheating our residents won't go unpunished and this charlatan has rightfully been prosecuted for defrauding their client. This action is a signal to all other fraudulent operators that we won't hesitate to take action.Our Trading Standards team have worked tirelessly whilst investigating one of the biggest cases in the borough, work which took almost three years.
Let this show that we will continue to protect residents and stop unfair, deceptive, and fraudulent business practices as we work to create a safer and fairer borough.”
How did the builder defraud his client?
In February 2018, Mr. Jimmy Lee, the sole director of Myint Construction Ltd was hired by the client to undertake a £700,000 refurbishment contract for a private property in South Kensington. The client entered into a contract with the builder after being given fraudulent references and a site visit to a property where he had not in fact worked.
The builder received payments from the client for the purpose of paying sub-contractors into his personal account, which he had misrepresented as a business account. He spent a substantial portion of that money in casinos instead of paying sub-contractors and submitted fraudulent invoices to the client.
Mr Lee’s failure to sufficiently supervise the works led to defective and non-compliant installations leaving the property in disrepair and the works not completed.
How to report a fraud?
If you suspect or may have been a victim of a scam or fraud, please contact [email protected]