Criminal Fraud

The 7BR Fraud team have established a reputation for excellence across a broad spectrum of criminal fraud cases.

The team offer high level advice and representation including multi-jurisdictional investigations, tax fraud, Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs), frozen funds, internal corporate investigations and Money Laundering/Anti-Money Laundering investigations and advice.

Members of the 7BR Fraud Team regularly appear, individually or as part of a specialist team, in cases attracting significant media attention. They have appeared in appellate courts in a number of jurisdictions, often at the cutting edge of legal developments in financial crime. They regularly undertake work in cases involving ultra-high net worth individuals and alleged fraudulent behaviour amounting to hundreds of millions of pounds. Their cases include boiler room frauds, insider trading, investment banking, crypto currencies, tax evasion, election fraud, and EURIBOR and LIBOR investigations.

Members of the team are instructed by international corporates, major national banks, global investment companies, UK and overseas law firms, accountants, financiers, company directors and ultra-high net worth individuals from across Europe and beyond, and by the SFO, the FCA, the NCA, and the Special Fraud Division of the CPS.

Notable cases

• R v Wybo Wiersma: representing a Dutch National, charged with cryptocurrency Fraud and Money Laundering in excess of £10m, Money Laundering and Theft of IOTA Cryptocurrency. Followed a highly sophisticated five-year cybercrime EUROPOL investigation, described by the South-East Regional Organised Crime Unit as ‘like nothing the investigation team had ever experienced’.
• R v Desai and Chant: successfully defending the CEO of a major Indian and UK IT company charged with bribery and fraud offences over the securing of a £25m contract.
• SFO v British American Tobacco: instructed in a long running, high profile investigation involving allegations in dozens of jurisdictions against one of UK’s largest companies, following Panorama’s broadcast of whistle-blower allegations into bribery of foreign officials. Advising on novel points concerning jurisdictional scope of corporate offending under s.7, the role of foreign subsidiaries and the adequate procedures defence. Advising on the reach of s.2 Production Notices and compatibility with journalistic freedoms.
• SFO v London Capital Finance: a parallel FCA/SFO investigation following the first ever referral by the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), further to the collapse of London Capital and Finance and the loss of £236m to investors.
• SFO v AB Ltd and CD Ltd: acting for two companies who secured DPAs with the SFO in 2021.
• SFO v Serco Geographix Ltd: acting for the company in the fifth DPA approved by the Court, relating to allegations of fraud and false accounting.
• D & Ors: multi-million Conspiracy to Defraud UK investors based offshore. Assets traced through accounts in multiple offshore jurisdictions during substantial financial investigation.
• Advising a global investment company in relation to interest from the financial regulator and US Securities and Exchange Commission in relation to its handling of funds linked to a substantial Ponzi fraud.