A ‘sickening’ fraudster who scammed Rochdale council and two other local authorities out of nearly £200,000 through a Covid-19 support scheme has avoided prison.
Rais Kayani, of Farley Hill in Luton, pretended to be the well-known bakery Greggs as he made claims for small business grants via the relief scheme designed to help struggling businesses during the pandemic. The Government had made emergency funds available to companies in need of urgent help via the Small Business Grant Fund, which was administered by local authorities.
The 31-year-old pleaded guilty previously to a single count of entering into a money laundering arrangement at Southwark Crown Court. On Monday (July 3) he was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
