Crime Solicitors

A financial adviser who set up his own London Fraud Prevention Club has been convicted of telling his former employers he had cancer to claim sick pay – and then inventing a non-existent £1 million business deal so he could receive commission.

Christopher Theile, 39, of Waltham Forest in east London was convicted at Snaresbrook Crown Court of two fraud offences relating to his former employers and one of perverting the course of justice.

Theile also admitted another three separate fraud offences relating to persuading a church friend to invest in a non-existent property deal.

The court heard that, over a period of two years, Theile pretended he had pancreatic cancer to claim £20,000 sick pay from his employers – and while on sick leave, pretended to his employers he had brokered a deal worth £1m with another business to buy flash drives, netting £20,000 in commission on the non-existent deal.

Theile’s employers had built the customised flash drives but could not sell them to anybody else and lost £1.2m.

Theile also wrote to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyer in that case, falsely claiming the investigating police officer was corrupt.

The court also told that, separately, Theile had persuaded a church friend to invest £46,460 in a property deal on property he did not actually own – and also persuaded the friend to give him £20,000 to invest on the Stock Exchange, which he spent on gambling debts.

Theile claimed that the money had not been spent, but was being held in virtual Bitcoin accounts as escrow – however, police investigations showed the accounts were empty.

Theile also filed false accounts to boost the value of his own new company – the London Fraud Prevention Club – to potential investors or clients.

CPS London reviewing lawyer Peter Nugent said:

“Christopher Theile cynically told his company and colleagues he had pancreatic cancer to claim sick pay – then while on leave, he carried out a deception which cost them £1.2m in business losses.

“Afterwards, he set himself up as a financial adviser and – helped by the launch of a company named the London Fraud Prevention Club – he enticed another victim into handing over money originally saved to buy a home for his children.

“Theile spent the money covering his gambling debts.

“Fraud is never a victimless crime – and whenever there is evidence of financial dishonesty, the CPS will work with police to bring a strong prosecution case to court.”

Theile is due to be sentenced on 28 July.

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