Man who let crooks use bank account to launder scam cash sentenced in Fife

A man who allowed £91,500 to be laundered through his bank account by crooks involved in a cold call scam has been sentenced in Fife.

Large sums of money fraudulently obtained from elderly victims in an investment ruse were paid into William McLaren’s account over nearly two years.

McLaren, 43, claims he did not know the nature of the scam.

Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard previously McLaren was extradited from Spain to Scotland to face criminal proceedings in 2022 after being apprehended on an international arrest warrant.

Along with former co-accused Paul Morris from Lochgelly, he had faced an accusation of forming a fraudulent scheme to obtain £147,000 by selling fictitious investments but prosecutors ultimately accepted not guilty pleas.

Admission

McLaren, of First Avenue in Bonhill, West Dunbartonshire, appeared in the dock last week for sentencing after earlier pleading guilty to a single charge under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

He admitted becoming concerned in an arrangement which he knew or suspected facilitated the acquisition, retention or use of criminal property.

The charge goes on to say the money, having been fraudulently obtained, was paid into his Nationwide Building Society account and he allowed others to use the funds.

The offending took place between October 2014 and November 2016 at an address in Clydeshore Road, Dumbarton and elsewhere.

Prosecutor Douglas Thomson told the court that between December 2014 and November 2016 a number of elderly people were “cold called” by telephone and “prevailed upon” by unknown people to invest significant sums in purported asset management schemes using various company names.

None of the money was legitimately invested.

Mr Thomson said there is no evidence suggesting the direct involvement of McLaren at this stage.

McLaren’s Nationwide bank account was opened in 2012.

He moved to Spain in early 2013 and in October 2014 was asked by people known to him to make the account available to them and he agreed.

The fiscal said “several large sums” of money totalling £91,500 – identifiable as coming from people defrauded in the cold calling scam – passed through the account over a 23-month period, then left to third party accounts in one to two days.

The fiscal said the use of McLaren’s account facilitated the transfer of £91,500.

Suspicions

In court last week, defence lawyer Chris Sneddon said McLaren is “keenly aware” of the impact of his offence on the victims, despite not knowing the details of the scheme.

He said McLaren has lived in Spain for many years with a partner and they are “not rich people”.

He  worked for an individual servicing Airbnbs and was asked by this person to use his UK bank account and he had suspicions.

Mr Sneddon pointed out his client did not resist the extradition process and has already spent 53 days in custody and was required to surrender his passport.

Sentencing

Sentencing, Sheriff Susan Duff indicated she was persuaded the crime fell into a lower category of culpability.

She told McLaren: “I appreciate you did not know the exact nature of criminality but you facilitated that criminality by allowing your bank account to be used to launder £91,500.”

The sheriff said she took into account the time on remand and ordered McLaren to carry out 252 hours of unpaid work.

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