A man who stole £350,000 from his employer treated himself to a life of luxury. Harminder Gill, 27, bought himself luxury cars, holidays and expensive getaways to London's infamous Shard at the expense of his bosses.
The man from the Black Country got away with the theft for two years through his job in the payroll department of the firm, which allowed him to steal the cash, before his bosses worked out what he had been doing. He was said to have exploited a 'glitch' in the system, reports BirminghamLive.
Gill transferred funds from the company in Warwickshire to six separate accounts he set up before using it to fund his luxuries, Warwick Crown Court heard. In total, he banked £350,000 from his employer.
To cover his tracks, he would send money to accounts in the name of family members without their say so. It was said to be small amounts first before Gill got 'greedy', say detectives. He made 181 transactions between between May 2019 and October 2021, the largest being £32,000.
He blew £36,000 hiring executive cars and another £40,000 jetting his family out to Ibiza. He also was said to frequent the infamous Shard in London where he hired out suites to entertain friends.
Gill was eventually caught after one employee complained of not being paid one month as the company did a full audit of their payroll system. The fraud was weeded out and it was found that Gill had three bank accounts in his name.
He was jailed for four-and-a-half years after previously admitting to fraud. Detective Constable Kevin Usher, from Warwickshire Police CID, said: “Gill was brazenly stealing this money from his employer and used it to portray an image of wealth to everyone who knew him. The reality couldn’t have been further from the truth.
"He started off small, but like many offenders like this he became greedy and now he is left with nothing and facing a lengthy prison sentence that he fully deserves.”
Tejinder Sandhu, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Mr Gill committed a serious offence when he took advantage of his employer, causing a loss of more than £340,000 to fund his luxurious lifestyle. His offending continued for a period of two years and his actions show that he deliberately diverted transactions to his own accounts and those of his family members without their knowledge or consent.
“As today’s sentencing shows, the Crown Prosecution Service will not tolerate those who abuse their positions of trust to make a gain for themselves. Mr Gill has now received a sentence that reflects the seriousness of his offending.”
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