VAT Fraud Queenpin Sarah Panitzke Snared After Nine Years on Run
Sarah Panitzke, once a key player in a massive multi-million pound VAT scam, was one of the UK’s most wanted criminals after she fled her trial in 2013. The York-born fraudster’s reign of deceit finally ended when Spanish Guardia Civil officers nabbed her walking her dogs in Spain in February 2022.
From Fugitive to Prisoner: The Dramatic Arrest and Extradition
After almost a decade on the run, Panitzke’s appeal to avoid extradition was shot down. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) teamed up with Spanish authorities to bring her back to the UK where she faced justice. She appeared at Kingston Crown Court on June 10, 2022, receiving an eight-year jail sentence.
Simon York, director of HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, said: “Sarah Panitzke thought she could get away with laundering millions in stolen money. She hid for nine years, but we never stopped chasing her.”
“This hard work by our officers shows we will keep hunting those who steal taxpayers’ money. Anyone who knows about tax crimes should report it to HMRC immediately.”
Inside the Giant £20 Million VAT Fraud
Panitzke masterminded a sophisticated scam involving fake mobile phone import businesses. These firms were fronts to claim over £20 million in fraudulent VAT repayments.
- The gang laundered stolen cash through offshore accounts in the UK, Andorra, Dubai, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Portugal, and the US.
- Despite elaborate efforts to hide the money, HMRC’s investigators untangled the web of lies.
- Panitzke and 17 co-conspirators received a combined 135 years in prison.
- A 2016 court ruling demanded she repay over £2.4 million or face an extra nine years behind bars.
Fugitive Life Ends in Spanish Village
Believed to have lived under a false name in Andorra and Spain, Panitzke was finally identified in the small town of Santa Barbara near Tarragona. Plainclothes officers swooped on February 27, 2022, bringing an end to her nine-year freedom.
HMRC officers escorted her back to the UK in June, where she was promptly sentenced.
