A group of charity scammers who pretended to be grocery store bucket collectors and deceived the public out of at least £500,000 have been imprisoned.
By pretending to be collectors for children's charities such as Children In Need, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, The Children's Society, The Christie Charitable Fund, and Mind, the group of fake collectors took advantage of the goodwill of the public.
David Lavi, 47, who was identified as the main con artist, contacted charities and requested permission to collect money on their behalf using their logos and brand names.
The gang used banners, fake ID badges, and Pudsey Bear costumes and set up booths and stalls in supermarkets.
Preston Crown Court was informed that although the gang collected at least £500,000, they only contributed less than 10% to the charity.
Judge Andrew Jefferies KC stated that he could only surmise the total amount pocketed by the gang and that some cash deposits were made with charity as police began to investigate.
"This was a huge betrayal of trust. You all took advantage of public goodwill and, in some cases, private grief," the judge told Levi and his co-defendants as he handed down his sentence.
The court heard how Levi and his crew of fraudsters duped stores into allowing collections under false pretences.
The imposters are believed to have claimed approval from head office or charity administrators and threatened to report an employee to their national office if they were not allowed.
Lancashire Police launched an inquiry in May 2017 after Children In Need referred the case to Action Fraud. Officers raided Levi's house and business in Lytham, Lancashire, in June, and recovered various phones, iPads, and charity items.
Detectives subsequently built the case using financial, telephone, and cell-site data, as well as surveillance of some of the collections themselves.
Levi was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for fraud and money laundering. Following his release on parole, he will be subject to a five-year serious crime prevention order.
"When people donate to a charity, they rightly expect that their money will go to supporting good causes, not lining the pockets of greedy con men like David Levi and his gang," Detective Chief Inspector Mark Riley said following the sentencing.
"They have exploited peoples' goodwill and honesty to the tune of thousands of pounds, and I'm pleased that we have been able to bring them to justice.”