Conman is jailed for fleecing high-flying businesswoman out of £55,000

Conman who fleeced high-flying businesswoman he met online out of £55,000 and took over her finances after claiming to work with Barry Manilow is jailed for over four years

  • Shaun Anthony Verner, 55, posed as businessman to impress victim in 2016 
  • Convinced her to ‘loan’ £12,000 and ‘invest’ £28,000 in non-existent property
  • Coaxed her into giving him control of her bank account and took more money

A conman who fleeced a high-flying business woman he met online out of more than £55,000 after claiming he worked with Barry Manilow has been jailed for four years. 

Shaun Anthony Verner, 55, managed to convince his victim, who worked for professional global services group Ernst and Young and owned a four-bedroom house in Northumberland, to give him control of her bank account.   

He spun her a series of lies, claiming he owned a four-bedroom home in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, and ran a stage lighting business with clients including Barry Manilow. 

Richard Holland, prosecuting, said the pair ‘seemed to hit it off’ after they met online in January 2016, sharing a passion for travel, Portugal and music.  

Shaun Anthony Verner (pictured), 55, managed to convince his victim, who worked for professional global services group Ernst and Young and owned a four-bedroom house in Northumberland, to give him control of her bank account

Verner invented a story that he was set to receive a large negligence payout for a botched spinal treatment from the NHS and managed to persuade his victim to give him £12,000 when he suffered ‘temporary cash flow problems’. 

He also convinced the woman to ‘invest’ £28,000 into a non-existent property in Portugal, with the promise of ‘fabulous’ returns, Durham Crown Court was told.  

He was then able to coax her into letting him take over her financial affairs and swiftly changed her passwords so he could transfer money into his own account. 

When he was then able to get her to quit her job and join him on a four-month ‘business trip’, she was completely unaware that she was in fact paying for its entirety.   

He spun her a series of lies, claiming he owned a four-bedroom home in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, and ran a stage lighting business with clients including Barry Manilow

Mr Holland said the victim sold her home in Northumberland to move into a flat in Durham, but after Verner began making further cash requests, she transferred the proceeds of the sale into an account which he didn’t know about in April 2017.

Extensive police inquiries revealed the loss to the victim was at least £55,000.

The court heard Verner, of Thornley, had previous similar convictions, initially denied any offending and only admitted six fraud charges recently.

He also convinced the woman to ‘invest’ £28,000 into a non-existent property in Portugal, with the promise of ‘fabulous’ returns, Durham Crown Court (pictured) was told

Robert Mochrie, mitigating, said the defendant believes a diagnosis for bipolar disorder, for which he now receives appropriate medication, may have played a part in his offending.

But Judge James Adkin said said Verner’s offending was, ‘breathtakingly, persistently convoluted, and emotionally manipulated,’ and, ‘a particularly pernicious type of fraud.’

Imposing a 54-month prison sentence, the judge also set in motion crime proceeds proceedings, with a hearing set for September 17.

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