The Insolvency Service has reported that Anna Dalecka, a self-employed cleaner, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years after she overstated her takings by £216,000 to claim the maximum Bounce Back Loan (BBL). Dalecka then paid £20,000 of the money into her personal bank account and transferred another £10,000 to accounts in Poland. Money was also paid to third parties in London, rather than being used to support her business. Dalecka was also given a 3-month curfew and must complete 300 hours of unpaid work.

The Insolvency Service has reported that James Todd has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years after creating a fictitious business named Pro Detailing and inventing a turnover of £255,000 to claim the maximum Bounce Back Loan (BBL). Todd transferred £32,500 of the funds to his own personal account after six days of receiving the loan. He also withdrew £1,250 and transferred a further £16,500 to associates in the same period.

The Insolvency Service has reported that Muhammadh Chaudhry, formerly known as Masood Jamati, has been sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for 22 months and disqualified as a company director for 7.5 years, for fraudulently claiming £100,000 in bounce back loans (BBL) and moving the money through his family’s bank accounts.

The Insolvency Service has reported that Dion Mailich, a Borehamwood accountant, has been disqualified from running a company for 12 years and ordered to pay £75,000 compensation for falsely claiming three bounce back loans (BBL), despite being only entitled to one. Mailich's 12-year ban began on 20 October 2023.

The Insolvency Service has reported that world sprint champion Rick Beardsell has received an 18‑month suspended prison sentence for fraudulently obtaining two maximum bounce back loans (BBL) totalling £100,000. Beardsell secured the loans for his company, Sports Creative Limited, in 2020 and 2021 by inflating turnover figures, thereby violating scheme rules that prohibit multiple loans. He used £83,900 of the funds to help purchase a £1.3m property in Prestbury, Cheshire. The sentence also requires 250 hours of unpaid work and an order to pay £11,152 in costs. Beardsell has repaid the full £100,000.

The Insolvency Service has reported that London property developer, Glenn Armstrong, has had bankruptcy restrictions totalling more than 13 years imposed on him for misleading investors.

The Insolvency Service has reported that a builder, Wayne Miller, who persuaded a customer to pay him more than £30,000 for home improvements he failed to complete, has been sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, at Southwark Crown Court.  Miller deliberately concealed his bankrupt status from the customer and abandoned the building project before its completion.  He was also ordered to repay £18,000 in compensation to the customer and £1,000 in costs. Miller had previously been declared bankrupt in January 2016 following a petition from HM Revenue and Customs. His bankruptcy remains ongoing, as he failed to make all payments required under his income payment agreement with the Official Receiver.

The Insolvency Service has reported that Jonathan Nolan, a car dealer in Southampton, has been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment at Southampton Crown Court on 21 November 2023, for fraudulently selling cars and breaching a suspended sentence. Nolan pleaded guilty to fraud by misrepresentation contrary to section 1 and 2 of the Fraud Act 2006, for which he received an 18-month sentence to run concurrently with each offence. The terms of Nolans’ previous suspended sentence were also activated, and he received an additional six-month sentence to run concurrently with the 18 months for fraud, for a total sentence of two years’ imprisonment. The current fraud offences were identified in 2020 as part of an Insolvency Service investigation into potential bankruptcy offences and occurred in 2017 and 2018 while Nolan had been subject to a suspended sentence for the previous conviction. The fraud offences in 2017 concerned five instances where Nolan sold five cars he did not legally own to a dealership, gaining £75,400. The offences in 2018 concerned fraud committed by Nolan through sale of the same car to two separate dealerships, one day apart, through which Nolan gained £6,850.

The Insolvency Service has reported that Artwork Holdings Ltd, formerly Yield Gallery Limited, has been wound up by the High Court following an investigation that began in October 2023. The company, which operated two London galleries claiming to sell works by prominent artists, was found to have provided conflicting accounts of its trading status, maintained inaccurate financial records showing £4.2m in sales but only £2m in bank deposits, and potentially underpaid VAT and corporation tax. Investigators also found the company had improperly obtained a £50,000 coronavirus bounce back loan and failed to register as an art market participant under money laundering regulations. The Official Receiver has been appointed as the liquidator.

The Insolvency Service has announced that the High Court in Manchester has wound up Affinity Technology Solutions Limited and RCSR Tech Limited following an investigation into unauthorised direct debit subscriptions. The companies allegedly charged customers £29.99 on a monthly basis for online identity protection and social media enhancement services without consent, with subscriptions reportedly initiated through loan application processes. The Official Receiver has been appointed as liquidator after the companies failed to cooperate with investigators or file required accounts at Companies House.

The Insolvency Service has reported the closure of BTCMining Limited following numerous complaints to Action Fraud from customers in Estonia, Mauritania, Iran, New Zealand, Poland and Romania, who reported paying for crypto mining services they did not receive. The investigation revealed the company used a false UK registered address and its sole director, Stibich Martins Yhaicha Luzia, could not be contacted. Action Fraud complaints indicated that customer losses exceeded the value of £15,000.

The Insolvency Service has reported that five companies have been wound up by the High Court in Manchester, following an investigation into the submission of false accounts which claimed turnovers of up to £642m. The companies—Automarket Europe Limited, Integra Group Limited, Maxell Limited, Montana & Montana Limited, and Supermarket Plus Ltd—claimed profits ranging from £186m–£330m, despite having no genuine business activity. They also falsely named reputable accountants as auditors and failed to co-operate with the Insolvency Service’s investigations or provide up-to-date accounting records. The action follows referrals from Companies House under new powers granted by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA 2023). The Official Receiver has been appointed as liquidator for all five companies.