A former Premier League soccer participant was handed a 7½-year jail sentence Thursday for defrauding his household and associates of 15 million kilos ($18.2 million).
Richard Rufus, who performed in England’s high division with Charlton Athletic from 1998-2004 and in addition was an England under-21 worldwide, claimed he was a profitable overseas change dealer and satisfied his victims to put money into what he mentioned was a “low-risk” scheme with guarantees of returns of 60% a yr.
Rufus, 47, was discovered responsible at Southwark Crown Court of fraud, cash laundering and finishing up a regulated exercise with out authorization.
Prosecutors discovered that Rufus used a few of the cash invested to pay again others in a pyramid scheme and the remainder of the money to “maintain a lifestyle of an elite professional footballer.”
“Rufus acted in a selfish manner without any concern for his victims,” mentioned Roger Makanjuola of the Crown Prosecution Service.
“He took advantage of his status as a professional athlete, a respected church member and he used the goodwill of his family and friends to scam them and associates out of millions of pounds by falsely claiming he was able to offer a low-risk investment in the Foreign Exchange Market.”
Rufus, who solely performed for Charlton in his professional profession, was compelled into retirement in 2004 due to a knee damage.
