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Fraudulent freight director sent to jail with 12-year ban

6th December 2001
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Page 6, 6th December 2001 — Fraudulent freight director sent to jail with 12-year ban
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

• by Dominic Perry and Melanie Hammond A freight-forwarding fraudster who for years swindled hauliers out of tens of thousands of pounds has finally been brought to justice with a 42-month jail term.

Jeffrey Lewis, who ran a string of freight forwarding firms with his son Michael, ran up huge debts with many CM readers, then pulled the plug on each company when he was chased for the cash. He was involved with eight company collapses in just five years.

When Jeffrey Lewis appeared before Blackfriars Crown Court he was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud and jailed for 42 months. His son Michael was given a twoyear suspended sentence after pleading guilty to the charges.

CM first alerted readers to the pair's chequered business history in 1998. The father and son team worked from a number of addresses across London and the SouthEast. The address given for one of their firms, Federation Freight, turned out to be a secretarial service when our reporter visited it in 1998 (see picture).

The pair would take work from import firms at such low rates that they could never hope to pay hauliers the cash they had been promised for doing the work Jeffrey Lewis would then try to fob off hauliers, claiming that they had not received CMR forms or that loads had been damaged.

As each firm ran into difficulties it would be closed down and a new firm started up almost immediately. Michael Lewis admit

ted; "Because we knew that Great Freigh wasn't going to be lasting too much longer,1 [EU Freight] was formed so there would bi no gap in business."

Jeffrey Lewis denied most of the allege tions levelled against him, blaming "ba debts" for the demise of several of his firms Hauliers stung by the pair were delightei at the guilty verdict. Karen Boardman fron Dover-based Breda Transport UK, whicl was owed 11,000 by the Lewises, says; "TN: sentence sends out a message to other who are tempted to do this sort of thing the they will be caught and they will be punishes We need to set an example as this is hap pening more and more to honest hauliers.

Geoff Pomroy, MD of Prince Transpor Services, says Jeffrey Lewis spun him web of lies", adding: "It is gratifying to see a out-and-out conman get what he deserves.

Andrew Bonner, MD of Leicester-basei Venture Forwarding, adds: "These guys se out deliberately with no intention of payin their debts. They got what they deserved.

Jeffrey Lewis was also disqualified fror being a director for 12 years; Michael Lewi: was disqualified for seven years.


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