Anthony James was described in Swansea Crown Court as a "thoroughly dishonest conman"
A FINANCIAL adviser who arranged a fraudulent mortgage on cocaine couple Carl and Donna Honey-Jones' "dream home" has been sent to jail.
Anthony James paid the deposit on the property in cash — £20,000 in a carrier bag.
The house was in the name of Donna Honey-Jones' uncle, William Harding, but the money to pay the mortgage was being funneled to him from the couple.
James, of Clos Cae Dafydd, Gowerton, and Harding, of Penlan Road, Treboeth, had both previously been found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud, and of converting criminal property when they appeared in the dock of Swansea Crown Court for sentencing.
James had also previously pleaded guilty to defrauding a couple out of £117,000 in a separate mortgage scam.
The court heard James was an independent financial adviser working in Swansea, and a friend of the Honey-Joneses. He arranged a mortgage on a property which was to be the couple's "dream home" — but in the name of Harding. The mortgage was being serviced by Harding — using money paid to him by the Honey-Joneses.
Judge Paul Thomas told James he had been dealing with money "which you knew to be criminal money".
Carl Honey-Jones of Penlan Road, Treboeth, is currently serving a nine-year sentence for conspiracy to supply cocaine, and money laundering. Donna Honey-Jones was given 21 months in jail, suspended for two years and was ordered to do 300 hours of unpaid work for money laundering.
The second fraud carried out by James related to a Swansea couple he had advised for many years.
In 2014 he approached them about an investment opportunity which involved re-mortgaging a property in Shaw Street, Gowerton, they owned — and which was going to provide funds for their retirement plans — and buying a house in West Cross which they would rent out.
The court heard he even drove the wife of the couple he was defrauding to her bank in Gorseinon where £117,000 was transferred to his account. But the purchase of the West Cross house never took place — James spent the money instead.
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However, to maintain the deception, he paid regular "rent" to the couple supposedly from their tenant.
By the time police were alerted and a restraint order placed on his account, he had spent £64,000 of the couple's money.
When arrested, he told police the couple had given him the cash to help him develop his career.
The court heard a victim impact statement from the couple in which they said they had placed "immense trust" in James, which he had betrayed, and the result was they had to change their retirement plans and had been left with monthly mortgage payments of £418 on a property they had already owned.
Adrian Maxwell, for James, said his client was a man of "not just good but exemplary character" with personal references from police offices and prison officers. But he conceded the breach of trust involved in the fraud perpetrated on the couple was "one of the worst I have come across".
Judge Paul Thomas QC told James he was a conman.
He said: "You reached your late 50s with a reputation as a well-respected financial adviser — that reputation was largely an illusion.
"You should now be regarded as a thoroughly dishonest conman."
James was sentenced to 15 months in prison for the Honey-Jones fraud and 45 months for the couple fraud, both to run consecutively making a total of five years.
Harding was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
Read more at http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/jail-for-cocaine-couple-mortgage-fraudster-who-paid-deposit-with-20-000-cash-in-plastic-bag/story-30065112-detail/story.html#iPskWjtZ0t1UXqH1.99
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