Gambling Addict Imprisoned for Theft That Left Coworkers Jobless

A gambling addict who was found guilty of fraud by abuse of position and the theft of £186,000 ($231,000) in cash from his employers was sent to six years in prison.

The sentence was formulated by the Liverpool Crown Court following the suspect’s trial. 

He was jailed on April 22 for several thefts that he committed between March 2019 and April 2020 while he worked as a cashier at Liverpool Motor Auctions.

Thefts That Led to Insolvency and the Loss of Jobs

Over the course of 13 months, the gambling addict was able to steal the money he needed to fund his gambling habit by making large payments into his own Halifax bank account. 

To cover up the cash deficit he was causing, he incorrectly recorded vehicle sales.

His thefts came to an abrupt end during the first COVID-19 lockdown when the company halted its operations.

Nonetheless, the damages caused by the thefts led to the company becoming insolvent, which caused a number of employees to lose their jobs.

Detective inspector Chris Hawitt called the investigation “lengthy and complex” while expressing his gratitude for the jury that saw through the suspect’s “lies” and decided on a guilty verdict.

Stealing From Businesses, “Not a Victimless Crime”

Hawitt also took the opportunity to emphasize that the crime of stealing from a business “is not a victimless” one. 

On the contrary, it is something that “can impact innocent people,” using the example of the employees who lost their jobs as well as “their families who would have been distressed and worried.”

The detective inspector further added that the respective impact “was clearly lost” on the gambling addict who stole from his employers, saying that he “will now be left to consider the full consequences of his actions behind bars.”

Research from Zurich, an insurance company, has revealed that employees are increasingly stealing from their employers to support them through the crisis related to the higher cost of living. 

The study showed that 500 employees are caught stealing on a monthly basis in the UK alone, a phenomenon on the rise in recent times.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, which will be implemented in the following months, now includes a fresh “failure to prevent fraud” offense. 

The Act will include a series of critical changes to the law, including the introduction of Authorized Corporate Service Providers, partners, and directors requiring identity verification, or stricter registration and compliance requirements for limited partnerships.

The same act will also include an offense for directors failing to prevent fraud from occurring within their companies, making businesses liable for internal fraud. 

Last December, a former Jaguars employee who suffers from gambling addiction allegedly stole $22 million from the team’s virtual credit card program.

In February 2024, it was announced that an ex-BaltCap manager was suspected of allegedly stealing between €16 million ($17.2 million) and €30 million ($32.3 million) to support his online gambling.