A ‘Ghost Broker’ was recently sentenced for selling fraudulent motor trade insurance policies to an organised criminal group, which in turn is believed to have helped the gang carry out drug crimes on UK roads without being stopped in their tracks by police for no insurance.
The outcome follows an investigation from the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) after it was approached by Lancashire Police to help identify suspected fraudulent activity believed to be linked to a string of vehicles the gang were known to be using.
IFB was able to work with its network of insurers and unique access to industry data to identify Tan Lam Le from Birmingham had been acting as a ‘Ghost Broker’. By providing the gang with fraudulently obtained motor trade insurance policies a total of 59 vehicles were able to evade police ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) detection for no insurance.
Mr Le, recently appeared at Preston Town Court where he received a 14-month suspended sentence and 200 hours’ community service after pleading guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation.
Mr Le managed to profit over £90,000 from his criminal activity with payments stemming from regions across the UK which is now being recovered via the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).
“The case of Tan Lam Le and his associates is a clear demonstration of the serious criminal activity we can find connected to insurance fraud and the risk of harm to the wider public. Thanks to the collaborative work by the insurance industry, the IFB are pleased to have been able to support Lancashire Police’s successful disruption of the criminal network of which Le was an integral part”, said Stephen Dalton, Head of Intelligence and Investigations at IFB.
Following Mr Le’s sentencing 15 members of the criminal group received a total of more than 37 years’ imprisonment for their involvement in the production of large-scale cannabis farms, with the court hearing how some of the cannabis workers involved were working to repay debts after being smuggled into the UK.