Green Energy Fraudster Jailed Over £2m Scam
Ehsan Abdi Jalebi, 42, was slammed with a four-year jail term in 2018 for swindling over £2 million from a green energy project. The National Crime Agency (NCA) uncovered a slick scheme where Jalebi faked documents to grab hefty government grants for his firm, Wind Technologies Ltd.
Fake Papers and Stolen Students’ Funds
Jalebi and his associated companies targeted the Department of Energy and Climate Change and Innovate UK with bogus grant applications. They submitted fake invoices and doctored bank statements to cover their tracks. Shocking details revealed he also exploited the bank accounts of his PhD students to funnel ‘studentship payments’ into his own pockets.
£1 Million Repaid After Global Asset Hunt
In 2021, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) secured a Confiscation Order showing Jalebi benefited by £2,095,928 from his crimes. Ordered to repay over £1 million, he faced a seven-year default jail sentence if he failed to pay up.
The NCA’s Asset Confiscation Enforcement team launched international probes with Iranian authorities, suspecting Jalebi stashed assets overseas. Their relentless chase forced him to sell property and transfer £988,411 back to the UK Treasury. He also chipped in a further £60,000 from a Trumpington, Cambridgeshire, house sale.
Officials Praise Effort to Reclaim Stolen Cash
“This is a hugely significant result and shows our ability to seize criminal assets even when they are hidden abroad,” said Rob Burgess, Head of Asset Denial at the NCA. “We pursue continuous enforcement to ensure criminals like Jalebi don’t keep the proceeds of their crime.”
Cynthia Caiquo, CPS Proceeds of Crime Legal Manager, added: “Jalebi stole government money meant for green energy and the environment. Thanks to international cooperation, we secured the return of £1 million, now put back into future projects.”
Cash in Chocolate Boxes and a Flash Lifestyle
Jalebi first caught the NCA’s eye in 2015 when Border Force stopped him boarding a flight to Tehran at Heathrow with £100,000 hidden in chocolate boxes. He was caught again in 2016 with more cash at the airport. The investigation revealed how he lavished the stolen funds on property investments and even leased a Maserati sports car – diverting green energy grants to fuel a posh lifestyle instead of saving the planet.
