A VAT fraud gang who stole £2.6 million from the taxpayer and then splashed the cash on luxury lifestyles have been jailed for more than 54 years.
A total of 23 criminals - 17 of who are from the West Midlands - have been sentenced after a four-year investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
A court heard ringleaders Zuwal Qarnain Sajawal, from Stechford, Nadeem Noor, from Smethwick and Ul Hamid, from Yorkshire, orchestrated the large-scale fraud involving bogus companies.
The gang spent the proceeds of the fraud on extravagant holidays, high-performance cars, luxury goods and furnishings for their homes.
Ul Hamid used his knowledge as a qualified chartered accountant to exploit the VAT system and defraud the public purse.
The gang created fake companies, produced bogus invoices and manipulated bank statements to claim VAT repayments they were not entitled to.
Between November 2007 and March 2012 the gang set up and operated 20 companies supposedly selling computer supplies or electrical fittings for new build properties that didn’t actually exist.
The gang submitted more than 80 fraudulent VAT repayment claims totalling £2.6 million.
The ringleaders recruited further members to act as fronts for the fake companies and helping launder the proceeds of the fraud.
The defendants appeared at either Birmingham Crown Court or Stafford Crown Court between September 2014 and June 2015.
Confiscation proceedings to recover their criminal profits are ongoing.
All of the defendants were charged with conspiracy to cheat the public revenue apart from Zaheer Hussain who was charged with cheating the revenue, while Muhammad Sagheer was convicted of money laundering.
As well as jail sentences the majority received bans on being company directors for up to 10 years.
