Fraud & Financial Crime
187 Fleet Street are specialists in the field of fraud and financial crime.
Our members are consistently ranked as leaders in the fields of serious and complex fraud, financial crime and financial regulation. We have an outstanding reputation for providing the highest quality of service to clients throughout the criminal process.
We are regularly instructed to defend individuals and corporates in high-profile and complex fraud cases. In addition, a number of our members are instructed by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and by individuals and corporations working in the Financial Services Industry. We also have experience of dealing with Deferred Prosecution Agreements (“DPAs”) for corporate entities.
Members of chambers are able to provide advice and representation at every stage of the criminal process including:
- Pre-charge advice
- Advisory and advocacy services before criminal courts and regulatory tribunals
- Advisory and advocacy services in ancillary proceedings (including restraint, confiscation and directors’ disqualification).
Our experience and expertise also extends to advising individuals, partnerships and corporates in relation to private prosecutions for fraud and other financial crime.
Why choose 187 Fleet Street?
- We provide comprehensive advice with acute attention to detail.
- Our barristers offer effective strategies tailored to each case.
- We are powerful and effective advocates, setting high standards in the courtroom to make sure your voice is heard.
- We are able to bring together strong teams of specialist fraud barristers.
- We are experienced at representing business professionals, accountants, solicitors, and financial advisors.
- We know how to work well with individuals as well as small, medium and large corporates, partnerships and multinational organisations.
- Our knowledge is recognised by our barristers’ contributions to leading legal text, including Fraud: Law Practice and Procedure, published by Butterworths & LexisNexis.
Examples of Our Cases Include:
We have a large catalogue of fraud and financial crime cases in which members of chambers have been instructed to act. We are used to handling complex, document heavy cases where reputation, finances and liberty are at risk. They include:
- R v Richards and Others (Operation Amazon)–Simon Mayo QC instructed to defend a company director accused of a massive tax fraud. The case is thought to be the largest ever fraud case prosecuted by HMRC.
- Operation Tidworth – Simon Mayo QC instructed in a multi-million pound “boiler-room” fraud prosecuted by the Financial Conduct Authority.
- R v Fallon– a multi-million pound fraud by a former City broker who established a foreign currency exchange (Fx) business.
- Asiana Ltd v HMRC – Excise and duty fraud involving the importation of Chinese cooking wine.
- Ornstein v Pradham – a successful private prosecution for fraud and perverting the course of justice.
- SFO v Magnus Peterson – Multi-million dollar interest rate swap fraud. A case involving extensive cross-examination of experts.