IT Boss Stole £200k to Fund Lavish Lifestyle – Caught Out by Missing TV
Luxury Spending Exposed by Missing Boardroom TV
Benjamin Cullen, the company’s IT director, plundered more than £200,000 of company funds to fuel a flashy lifestyle. His fraud came to light in 2020 when he submitted an invoice for a 50-inch 4K smart TV, claiming it was for the boardroom. But the television was nowhere to be found – an old telly remained in its place, sparking suspicion.
Shady Invoices and Secret Purchases
An internal probe revealed Cullen’s elaborate scam. Between 2018 and 2020, he submitted fake invoices totaling £117,234 for services from two phantom companies linked directly to him. That was just the start.
Company credit card records uncovered 15 mysterious transactions worth £291.54 paid to a mobile number that belonged to Cullen himself.
And the biggest shock? Cullen made 527 sneaky purchases on an online shopping app, spending £55,940 on everything from a swimming pool and jewellery to a gaming chair, computer games, a gazebo, and a pair of topiary trees.
IT Director Sent Down for Nearly Five Years
Cullen, 43, from Peartree Road, Herne Bay, admitted four counts of fraud by abusing his position. On Wednesday, July 27, 2022, he was hit with a prison sentence of four years and nine months at Canterbury Crown Court.
“Benjamin Cullen carried out the fraud over a sustained period, and it was a gross abuse of trust against a company that had given him the opportunity to work,” Detective Constable Mark Newman said.
“His greed and desire to live the high life eventually caught up with him, and he was forced to face the consequences of his actions.”
