Fraudsters Caught Selling Genuine Passports to UK’s Worst Criminals
Anthony Beard, 61, and Christopher Zietek, 67, have been nailed after a National Crime Agency (NCA) sting exposed their scam selling fraudulently obtained genuine (FOG) passports to hardened criminals. Over five years, they raked in £5,000 to £15,000 per passport, which let crooks escape justice and keep running their dirty businesses overseas.
Who Bought the Passports?
- Glasgow murderers Jordan Owen and Christopher Hughes
- Liverpool drug lord Michael Moogan (jailed for 12 years)
- Manchester fugitive David Walley
- Scottish drug traffickers Barrie Gillespie, Jamie Stevenson, and James White
The gang’s false identities helped cops round up fugitives worldwide after the NCA’s Operation Strey kicked off back in 2017, working with Dutch police and the Passport Office in a major crackdown.
How the Scam Worked
Beard, from Sydenham, London, was the mastermind behind the passport forgery, a craft he’d honed for 20 years. Vulnerable people – often struggling with drugs and booze – lent their identities by handing over expired passports and personal info. The gang swapped the photos for criminals’ faces and paid others to certify the applications.
Zietek acted as the FOG broker, using his criminal ties with the infamous Adams crime family and others to find buyers across London, Ireland, and Spain.
“Many of the passport forms bore Beard’s fingerprints, phone numbers linked to ‘burner’ phones, and handwriting experts confirmed he filled most of the applications,” NCA investigators revealed.
Voice recognition showed Beard was even calling the Passport Office pretending to be applicants. Zietek was caught on audio advising couriers how to dodge airport security. One passport was smuggled wrapped in a Garmin box, disguised as a Christmas gift.
Justice Served
Both men were arrested in October 2021. Beard pleaded guilty to fraud in January 2023 at Reading Crown Court. Zietek was convicted recently. Alongside them, Alan Thompson, 72, of Sutton, Surrey, was also busted for helping run the operation, driving Zietek to meetings and handling critical tasks.
The NCA’s efforts have made it far tougher for criminals to grab genuine British FOG passports. The fallout proves the agency’s determination to shut down identity fraud rings feeding the UK’s crime underworld.
