Owner of Fleetwood Town Football Club jailed for £15 million fraud
The owner of Fleetwood Town football club, Andy Pilley, has been jailed after being found guilty of fraud and money laundering totalling around £15 million.
He was sentenced to 13 years in prison at Preston Crown Court.
Andy Pilley was a leading figure of what National Trading Standards called "a web of interconnected companies that misled innocent small businesses across the UK."
Pilley, 52, who has been the club's chairman for 21 years, was found guilty of fraudulent trading, fraud by false representation and being involved in the acquisition, retention, use or control of the proceeds of fraudulently mis-sold energy contracts.
Through sham companies, Pilley and his fellow fraudsters conned small business owners and locked them into signing long-term energy contracts between 2014 and 2016.
During sentencing, His Honour Judge Knowles KC remarked that Pilley’s story is "a sordid tale of squalid lies, greed and fraud".
Pilley was sentenced today alongside his sister Michelle Davidson, 49, and two other associates - 52-year-old Lee Qualter from Cleveleys and 38-year-old Joel Chapman from Willerby in Yorkshire.
During sentencing, His Honour Judge Knowles KC said: “Cold-calling liars and manipulators duped very large numbers of honest and decent proprietors of sandwich shops, hair salons, small hotels and the like into long and expensive contracts for their gas and electricity.
"The bills they had to pay came to tens of millions of pounds…Pilley devised and enforced an elaborate pretence that the sales team were independent of the supply companies.
"The truth was that he owned them and he called the shots. Michelle Davidson…knew of the pretence and the reasons for it and she let the money pour in.”
Councillor Christine Warner, Cabinet Member for Homes, Planning and Safer Communities at Cheshire West & Chester Council, said: “Using a number of businesses based in Blackpool, Bispham and Fleetwood, Pilley and his associates targeted small businesses across the Country with no regard to the damage of locking them into long-term energy contracts, based on false information would cause for their owners and employees.
“Thanks to a tireless investigation by the Trading Standards North West Investigation Team hosted by Cheshire west & Chester Council, the criminals behind the fraud have been brought to justice and stopped from defrauding even more businesses.
“This verdict is a testament to the persistence of the Trading Standards officers who pursued this investigation over several years and sends a clear message that these crimes will not be tolerated.”
Fleetwood Town Football Club issued a statement following the case
Fleetwood Town Football Club acknowledges the sentencing in the court case involving former club chairman, Andy Pilley.
The club would like to reiterate convictions are against individuals and not Fleetwood Town FC, or any of the businesses associated with them, and will continue to operate as normal.
Fleetwood Town remain in communication with the EFL and will be making no further comment at this time.