Preston man among 14 convicted in £28m timeshare fraud affecting thousands nationwide
A Preston man has been handed a suspended prison sentence for his part in a massive £28 million timeshare fraud that duped more than 3,500 people across the UK.
Lee Evans, 51, of Preston, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Southwark Crown Court.
Evans was one of 14 people convicted following a six-year investigation into the scheme, which targeted timeshare owners desperate to sell their properties.
The conspiracy, led by Mark Rowe, 54, and his wife Nicola Rowe, 54, saw victims lured to high-pressure meetings at offices across the UK and in Tenerife under the brand Sell My Timeshare (SMT).
Customers were pressured into buying “Monster Credits” - a scheme promising holiday discounts and trading opportunities - often paying tens of thousands of pounds, only to discover the credits were worthless and that they still retained ownership of their timeshares.
Mark Rowe, of Los Blanquitos in Tenerife, was sentenced in January to seven-and-a-half years for conspiracy to defraud, while his wife received a 24-month suspended sentence for money laundering.
Investigators said the couple spent millions of pounds on luxury items, including £31,500 on an LS Lowry sketch.
Evans’ sentencing follows a series of trials over two years at Southwark Crown Court, which saw other co-conspirators across the UK and Tenerife receive prison sentences or suspended terms.
The South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, which led the investigation under Operation Destin, said the fraud caused “a living nightmare” for victims, many of whom were elderly and lost significant savings.