A DISGRACED football club owner has been jailed for 13 years over a huge energy contract scam worth £15million.
Andy Pilley targeted small businesses by tricking them into signing long-term energy contracts.
The 52-year-old, who owns English League One side Fleetwood Town, has now been jailed for 13 years.
Pilley was of two counts of running a business with the intention of defrauding creditors alongside his sister Michelle Davidson, 49, and two others.
He was also found guilty of one count of false representation and one count of being concerned with the retention of criminal property.
The mis-selling included false or misleading statements about the length and price of the contract as well as competitor rates.
Pilly and his associates used a “web” of interconnected companies to dupe small businesses across the UK between 2014 and 2016.
They targeted charities, including guest houses and children’s charities, and companies that provided support to disabled people.
By 2019, the annual turnover at both companies was £100million.
Prosecutors said the scam is estimated to have reached an eye-watering £15million.
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Michael Bichard, chairman of National Trading Standards, said: “Small business owners were deliberately deceived and locked in to contracts that were long-term and expensive, leaving many businesses struggling to pay the bills and sadly driving some business owners into making the difficult decision to cease trading.
“This is not a victimless crime – small business owners have lost vast sums of money to this fraud and many businesses have gone under.”
Pilley was charged with the allegations in September 2021 following a five-year investigation into BES Utilities, which has been Fleetwood Town‘s main sponsor for 18 years.
The club said today: “Fleetwood Town Football Club acknowledges the sentencing in the court case involving former club chairman, Andy Pilley.
The club would like to reiterate convictions are against individuals and not Fleetwood Town FC, or any of the businesses associated with them, and will continue to operate as normal.
Fleetwood Town remain in communication with the EFL in relation to the implications of the convictions and will now be making an application to the League in relation to a change of control the club will make no further comment at this time.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
