A private client lawyer has been given a suspended sentence after defrauding Cancer Research UK (CRUK) out of nearly £20,000.
Cyncoed-based Michael Fogg submitted 260 separate invoices from his business, Trusting Willpower Limited, for will writing services as part of the charity’s free will writing service.
As part of the service, CRUK pays will writers and solicitors between £120 and £170 for wills written.
An investigation found the “majority” of invoices were fraudulent resulting in CRUK paying out £17,570, pausing further payment once there were suspicions over fraudulent invoices.
Concerns were raised when three recipients of thank you letters from CRUK contacted the charity to say they had never instructed a will to be drafted
The case was passed to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) with the investigation subsequently allocated to Tarian, the Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) for southern Wales.
Tarian said of the 260 invoices, 213 were fraudulent. It said 41 people confirmed they had never made a will, and a further 172 were uncontactable due to invalid contact details.
Fogg was charged with fraud by false representation, admitting his guilt in June of this year. He was sentenced at Newport Crown Court to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, a two-year probation order and 120 hours of unpaid work.
Explaining the outcome a Tarian spokesperson said Fogg was sentenced for one count of fraud for 40 invoices totalling £4,800.
He was charged with four counts of fraud by false representation in total after submitting invoices to CRUK worth £25,560.
“The other three counts will stay on his file, but he didn’t receive a sentence for these,” the spokesperson said.
A CRUK spokesperson said: “As soon as we became aware of the suspected fraud, we contacted the authorities.
“We’d like to thank South Wales Police for its co-operation and diligence in investigating this case.
“We’ve since reviewed and tightened our controls to reduce the likelihood that this will happen again.
“The charity’s life-saving research depends on the generosity of the public. When that faith is fractured it’s distressing for all involved, though fortunately, such cases are rare.”
Detective constable Thomas Connick of Tarian ROCU added: “As a solicitor, Fogg was entrusted to act with honesty, integrity and professionalism.
“Instead, he abused that position of trust by submitting false claims and receiving payment for work that had never been carried out.
“This was a deliberate fraud committed for personal financial gain, with the victim being a charity that relies on public generosity and donations to fund vital cancer research.
“I’d like to thank CRUK for their support throughout this investigation. Their diligence in identifying concerns and reporting them ensured that this offending was uncovered.”
