A phoney money scheme worth almost £1 million that was orchestrated by a father and son has been ordered to return the money.
Christopher Gaunt and his son Jordan were imprisoned last year after admitting to running a “sophisticated and lucrative” counterfeit scheme in Holmfirth.
Gaunt, 59, was sentenced to pay back £217,390.47 from his crimes at Leeds Crown Court. While his 27-year-old son was told he had to return £3,840.32 of the £6,114.14 he had accumulated.
After pleading guilty to creating fake money with intent to supply at Court last December, Christopher Gaunt was sentenced to six and a half years in prison, while his son received a two-year suspended sentence.
The court heard how in 2020, piles of phoney banknotes totaling £200,000 and a cannabis farm were discovered at Christopher Gaunt’s residence on Bank Street.
“They masterminded a substantial counterfeit currency ring, and we believe the ‘cash’ they created was being used to fund crime in communities, so it’s a good thing for residents that this supply chain has been broken.”
SOURCE: BBC NEWS | JULY 13 2023
