Father and Son Ordered to Pay Back £223,000 in Fake Cash Scandal
Christopher (59) and Jordan (27) Gaunt from Holmfirth have been slammed with hefty confiscation orders after raking in more than £220,000 from a counterfeit cash racket. The duo were hit with the Proceeds of Crime Act at Leeds Crown Court on July 7, following a thorough probe by the Economic Crime Unit.
Guilty Pleas Over Fake Currency
Both men admitted guilt in 2022 for producing counterfeit money with the intent to pass it off as genuine. Their crimes were uncovered in a joint strike by West Yorkshire Police">West Yorkshire Police and the National Counterfeit Currency Unit (UKNCO) under the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Christopher copped a tough sentence of six and a half years in December 2022, also linked to possession with intent to supply cannabis. Jordan dodged jail but got a two-year suspended sentence for his role.
The Crime Cash Tally
- Christopher Gaunt must cough up £217,390.47 – the exact profits he made from crime.
- Jordan faces a bill of £3,840.32 after being judged to have benefited £6,114.14.
Both have to pay up by October 6, 2023, or risk longer jail terms.
Investigation Uncovers Large Scale Counterfeit Ring
Probes began in 2020 after the Kirklees Proceeds of Crime Team was tipped off by the NCA about fake notes circulating locally. The forgeries included both English and Scottish banknotes.
Christopher was arrested at his Bank Street home on October 8, 2020. Police discovered 123 counterfeit notes and contacts linking him to the criminal underworld.
Chief Inspector Lee Townley of the Economic Crime Unit said: “We welcome the substantial joint confiscation imposed on these men by the courts, which ensures they have to pay back every available penny of the money they made from crime.
“They masterminded a substantial counterfeit currency ring and we believe the ‘cash’ they created was being used to fund crime in communities so it is a good thing for residents that this supply chain has been broken.”
He added: “The Proceeds of Crime Act exists to make sure criminals do not benefit from their ill-gotten gains. Our specialist financial investigators worked hard to maximise this legislation’s impact in West Yorkshire.
“Cash like that seized from these men is reinvested in policing and community good causes to ensure some good comes from activity which only caused misery.”
