Case News from Bark & Co

The FCA alleges that 2 individuals conspired to commit insider trading offences, and that these 2 and a further 3 individuals are further accused of money laundering relating to £1.5 Million in profits.

The FCA began a criminal investigation into Worthington Group plc in 2016 after share suspension in 2014. Aidan Earley, Ware, Spurway, and Biggar face charges of fraudulent trading and running a ‘pump and dump’ scheme to mislead investors and inflate share prices. Earley is also charged with breaching a director disqualification, and Wulstan Earley with money laundering. The alleged offences occurred between 2012 and 2016. All five appeared in court in October 2022.

The FCA is interviewing 20 finfluencers under caution as part of its targeted action against those finfluencers that may be promoting financial services illegally. The FCA has also issued 38 alerts to social media accounts that may contain illegal promotions.

The directors of the client firm were able fraudulently to change the public entry for the firms on the FCA interim permission register. This made it appear that the firm had interim permissions from the FCA for consumer credit activities. These were granted to firms which transferred from the OFT into the FCA in 2014.

Bruce Rowan and David Simmons are among those who have been charged by the FCA with multiple counts of conspiracy. Robert Sweeney, David Simmons and Justin Russell are also accused of money laundering.

The FCA has charged 3 individuals with fraud for their alleged involvement in a high-risk trading scheme, which targeted people’s pension savings. Update:11 July 2024: Following a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on Friday 5 July 2024, a trial date for this case was fixed for 1 February 2027.

Kerry Nelson served as director at both Nexus Independent Financial Advisers Limited and Nexus Investment Managers Limited. Jacqueline Stephens worked as the business operations manager for both firms. Nelson and Stephens are accused of defrauding 4 clients, between January 2019 to January 2023. The victims lost PS2m. The two are also accused of using false documents to commit the alleged fraud.

Bark & Co Expert Defence Lawyers are acting for JS in relation to an HMRC investigation into a highly sophisticated money laundering enterprise said to have processed more than £59m in cash over a 10-month period between July 2017 and May 2018.

We act for an individual associated with Safe Hands Plans funeral trust who is under investigation by the SFO. The charges against our client RW are in connection with a Serious Fraud Office investigation into suspected offences of conspiracy to defraud and fraudulent trading.

We are acting for a client (BA) following an HMRC criminal investigation into alleged fraudulent submissions of VAT Returns and forging false sales and purchase invoices regarding the trading activities of his luxury car companies to make a dishonest gain.