A con artist who duped customers into buying vintage wines and made £5m in the process has been sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Daniel Snelling, 38, of Basinghall Gardens, Sutton, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court today after he and his sister, Dina Snelling, 35, of Invicta Close, Chislehurst, Kent, scammed more than 100 customers.

The couple set up Nouveau World Wines Ltd and Finbow Wines Ltd, which started trading in June 2007 and September 2009 respectively, used a sales team to cold call members of the public to promote two promising wine investment schemes.

Nouveau World Wines Ltd investors were told that their money would be spent on Australian wines which would be stored in Australia before being sold on for great profit two to three years later.

Victims' were sent high-quality brochures and investment packs before being called back to close deals.

The victims were also sent false receipts and certificates of ownership, claiming the wine had been purchased when in reality only £478,000 was spent on wine.

When victims pressed the Snellings for evidence of their investments, this wine was moved between their accounts to fool them.

The Snellings were in the process of moving to a third company - M2M - when police arrested them in an intelligence-led operation in March 2010.

Cosuin Rebecca McDonald, 43, of Parkside Avenue, Bexleyheath was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud and sentenced to three years imprisonment.

Detective Inspector Paul Whatmore of the MPS Fraud Squad, said: "Daniel Snelling and his sister went to great lengths to con investors out of their money.

"They set up fake offices for investors to visit in Canary Wharf and Mayfair, and paid for incredibly professional brochures to be designed and printed.

"By all accounts, the brochures and the certificate of ownership looked like the real deal.

"Sadly for the victims, this was nothing more than a callous, family-run plot to dupe them out of thousands of pounds which was spent on nights out, designer clothes, luxury cars and cosmetic surgery."

Daniel Snelling was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to defraud and two charges of converting criminal property.

Dina Snelling's sentencing for two counts of conspiracy to defraud has been adjourned to October 11.

 

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