A man and a woman were sentenced at Luton Crown Court this week for laundering money through their own bank accounts to help support four ‘boiler room’ financial scam operations. 

After an investigation by the City of London Police’s Fraud Squad, both were found guilty of money laundering.

Nadirah Peters, 39, of Lawn Road, Southampton and Carl Maude, 57, of Kennet Drive, Milton Keynes, were sentenced to 13 months in prison each. 

The Fraud Squad’s investigation began after a journalist from BBC Radio 4’s Consumer Affairs programme You and Yours programme was cold-called by one of the boiler rooms and began an investigation into the operation. She referred the case to the Fraud Squad. 

As well as Ms Peters and Mr Maude, the Fraud Squad’s investigation also uncovered five other men who were involved in laundering the stolen money and they were sentenced in February. 

Ms Peters and Mr Maude and the other five men opened bank accounts for fake businesses and laundered a total of £1,249,309 which had been stolen from around 180 victims who thought they were investing in gold or broadcast airtime. 

In 2013 Mr Maude received approximately £107,680 through his bank account, while Ms Peters received around £109,137 between April 2013 and January 2014. 

The City of London Police’s Asset Recovery Team has launched confiscation proceedings into the five men sentenced earlier this year and they will now include the money laundered by Ms Peters and Mr Maude.

Detective Constable Joby Reeve of City of London Police’s Fraud Squad, said: “Despite claiming they were unaware that the money they laundered was from a boiler room operation, our investigation has shown that Peters and Maude knew all along.”

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