A mother and her three sons have been jailed for defrauding theirs and others in a multi-million pound investment scheme. Audrey Osbourne, 66, and sons Clayton Moore, 48, Ian Moore, 45, and Gary Moore, 44, persuaded people to put their savings into a property development business. However these homes were never built and some who invested lost all the money they had put in.
Osbourne and her three sons originally admitted fraud in 2021 and were given suspended sentences.
However, the Court of Appeal later said this judgement had been “unduly lenient” and they were brought back to Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court to be sentenced.
On this second occasion they denied the offences.
Osbourne, Garry Moore, and Clayton Moore were each jailed for three years for conspiracy to defraud.
Ian Moore was jailed for two years and four months as he had played a lesser part.
Judge Richard Twomlow said the defendants had acted out of “greed and self-preservation”.
Just Twomlow said the offences were aggravated because the crime was a “sophisticated fraud over a sustained period with a large number of investors”.
He added: “The investors, some left penniless, gave Victim Personal Statements saying they were ruined by losing their savings to a family they trusted.
“In my opinion, these offences are so serious that only a prison can be justified.”
As part of the scheme the four defendants launched companies called Credence Finance and Dreamscape Homes. Through these companies they fraudulently obtained mortgages.
Those investing with those companies put in sums ranging from £20,000 to £40,000, receiving share certificates in return. Some used money from their retirement funds, putting full trust in the family firm.
Victims of the scheme included a father whose son was diagnosed with cancer who was persuaded to invest £30,000. Some of this payment came form a critical life policy.
Speaking after the case, Crown Prosecution Spokesman Gurminder Sanghera said: “Between them, Audrey Osbourn and her sons committed multiple offences of fraud and money laundering through dishonesty, misleading mortgage providers and betraying the trust placed in them by friends, employees and customers. They did so for their own personal benefit.”
