A fraudster car dealer who conned sellers and loan companies out of more than £1million has been jailed for ten years.
Paul Moyse left numerous people out of pocket after selling their vehicles, including a number of prestige cars including Aston Martins, Bentleys and Ferraris, but failed to pass on the money. He also used the vehicles to take out fraudulent loans.
It is thought he benefitted by more than £1m through the series of frauds which started at Autovia cars in Stanground, Peterborough.
Moyse, who had already been convicted of false accounting while working at a dealership in Northampton, set up the firm to sell high-performance cars in January 2011, moving to Stanground the following year.
He would sell the vehicles but then put off paying the seller, claiming there were complications with the buyer. In reality he would have used the cash elsewhere.
On one occasion a Ferrari 360 Modena which Moyse had been asked to sell, was involved in a fail to stop collision in Corby.
The ‘buyer’, who had been given the car on a promise of a deposit, then refused to pay for the car and the owner was left out of pocket and facing civil action from the owner of the other cars and house that were damaged in the crash.
Alongside the private sellers, Moyse managed to broker a £206,000 loan by claiming he was the lawful owner of a number of the vehicles he had been charged to sell.
Moyse also leased a number of Nissan Jukes as courtesy cars but failed to pay the fees and instead gave them to friends or associates. One of the vehicles has still not been traced.
He took several Land Rovers from a firm in Boston but failed to sell, or return them, leaving the manager with a debt of more than £80,000.
Moyse (39), of Boston Road South, Holbeach, was arrested on June 25, last year.
He initially denied the offences but pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud, one count of fraudulent trading and one of false accounting. He denied one count of theft and another of fraud which were ordered to lie on his file.
He was jailed for a total of ten years and was also made subject of a Serious Crime Prevention Order – the first to be granted in Peterborough.
The order bans him from having any dealings in the motor trade, either as an employee or in his own right, for five years after his release from prison. He has also been disbarred from holding the office of director or secretary for 15 years.
A Proceeds Of Crime Act hearing will be held later this year.
Police said Moyse built his business on lies and did not give a second thought to the number of lives he destroyed in the process.
Det Sgt Jacqueline Shersby, of Cambridgeshire Police, said: “He continually denied his offending, claiming it was just a bad business but the weight of evidence against this led to him pleading guilty.
“He acted purely out of greed and to keep up a lifestyle he could not afford.
“His actions have had a devastating impact on his victims, some of who have lost a huge amount of money. For some, these vehicles were their ‘nest egg’ for the future. It has put a massive stress on the victims’ finances and personal lives.
“Their ordeal is still not over as they now have to try to get their vehicles back from innocent purchasers.
“I’m pleased the judge has recognised the seriousness of the case and this should serve as a deterrent to others who think they can get away with such crime.”
