A fraudster gambled away nearly £400,000 after 'preying' on friends and colleagues and conning them into handing over their life savings.
Jay Delaney cried in the dock as she was handed a five year prison sentence after stealing £388,000 from 38 people.
The 32-year-old defrauded her victims by pretending she was involved in a lucrative investment scheme - but in reality, was using the money to fund her online gambling.
She kept up the scam for five years between 2015 and 2020, with many of the thefts taking place in 2020 after Delaney had confessed her previous crimes to police and had been released on bail.
Delaney of Baxter Avenue, Southend, would tell her friends and colleagues that she worked for Aviva and could turn a £5,500 investment into £10,000 within a couple of years.
Enticed by her lies, her victims would then invest most of their life-savings into her "scheme", Essex Live reports.
In fact, she would transfer the money into her own account and gamble it online.
She appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Monday (April 25) after admitting 38 counts of fraud. The court heard she began her offending in 2015 after meeting two men in a pub in Southend and was enticed to create a pyramid scheme.
One of Delaney's victims, an elderly lady, considered her like a granddaughter, and was convinced to hand over £5,500 on the promise of a return investment, but Delaney just took the money - after the death of the woman's husband. Another man defrauded by Delaney lost £30,000 and was declared bankrupt.
Judge Samantha Cohen said: "Before 2015 you had committed no criminal offences, but between 2015 and 2020 you perpetuated a fraudulent scheme. You preyed on friends and colleagues, and you dishonestly gained almost £400,000 for your own gain. You said you worked for a company - that was a lie.
"You offered substantial returns on people's investments - that was a lie. Often on the investments, you perpetuated to repay them with the increased premium. That often enticed the victim to make further investments. Some of them asked their friends and family to invest in the scheme as well. I expect they feel guilty about that, but the only guilt is yours.
"You came up with a series of excuses about your health, or a serious life-threatening illness to put them off the scent on what happened to their money. You confessed to your parents, you knew you had to go to the police but you didn't have the strength of your character so you asked your father to do it for you. That must have been one of the toughest things he has had to do."
The judge lambasted Delaney, who was extremely emotional and crying throughout the entire hearing, for being released by the police in April 2019 and carrying out further frauds a year later in spring and summer 2020, which amounted to almost £50,000 of further stolen money.
Mitigating, Christopher Martin said Delaney was remorseful but had not used any of the money to live a lavish lifestyle. He said: "When she was 19, Miss Delaney began a gambling habit. It reappeared through the period of these frauds in a desperate attempt to pay individuals back for their investments in what was a pyramid scheme.
"There were no holidays or increases in a lavish lifestyle. She has come to court with a bag of every single thing she owns. There were no cars, holidays or anything of that nature. Any money that came to her by these schemes was gambled in a fruitless attempt online. She relied on a stream of gambling to pay individuals back."
Mr Martin said Delaney had referred herself to a gambling support group in November 2020 after being caught for the latest frauds, and that she has a long history of living with depression and anxiety. He said Delaney knew prison was inevitable but wanted the sentencing over with so she could try and move on with her life.
Judge Cohen continued: "All of your victims thought you were an honest person. They trusted you and you betrayed them. You were considered like a granddaughter by one. You knew she needed the money because you knew her partner was sick. You told her you could turn £5,500 into £10,000 within a few years. You transferred the full balance from her account into your personal bank account.
"One man lost £30,000 and was made bankrupt. I have read a number of references from friends and they are all stunned that you're involved in this and they can't believe it. The house is always stacked against gambling, and you lost." The judge jailed Delaney to 4 years and eight months in jail. Delaney wept as she was taken down to the cells.
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