Fraudster fleeced Norfolk employer of £1.3m to fund gambling addiction

Over a million pounds has been returned to a company defrauded by one of its employees to feed his gambling addiction.

Andrew May, 46, of Phillip Nurse Road, Dersingham, Norfolk, was jailed for four years in June 2021 following a Norfolk Constabulary investigation which found he had defrauded his employer Sealskinz out of £1,336,916.

Following his conviction, financial investigators from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) began further enquiries into May, working with the Gambling Commission and several bookmakers to identify the total amount of fraudulent money he had gambled.

ERSOU's work helped lead to voluntary divestments totalling £1,243,110.45 being given directly to Sealskinz from the gambling institutions May had used.

Further work by ERSOU investigators established that May also had £49,500 in assets and, following a Kings Lynn Crown Court hearing on Friday (18 November), he was ordered to repay the amount within six months or face an additional nine months’ imprisonment. The funds will also be given to Sealskinz.

Senior Financial Investigation Manager Paul Fitzsimmons, from ERSOU’s Financial Investigations Team, said: “This case once more underlines that ERSOU’s specialist financial investigators will continue to use the Proceeds of Crime Act and asset recovery powers to strip the assets of criminals.

“Our teams are committed to ensuring crime doesn’t pay and will leave no stone unturned as they look to return money to victims of crime.”

On May's Linkedin page hje wrote before he was jailed "Recovering disordered gambler, awaiting sentencing for a fraud of £1.3m. Determined to help others."