Central Fraud Division
Welcome to the Central Fraud Division web pages. I am Sue Patten, Head of the Division.
The Central Fraud Division (CFD) was established within the Crown Prosecution Service in April 2010 to provide a specialist prosecution and advisory service for complex, sensitive and high value fraud cases throughout England and Wales and for all fiscal fraud and export control cases Investigated by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Members of the CFD are specialists in prosecuting a wide range of fraud and fraud-related crime, much of which is international, serious and highly complex. The Division also prosecutes illegal arms brokering investigated by HMRC and we have prosecuted cases in conjunction with the Financial Services Authority, the Department of Work and Pensions and others, as well as the police.
We therefore work with a range of law enforcement bodies to maximise their impact on criminals who are constantly finding new ways to profit from defrauding individuals, businesses and the taxpayer.
The Division aims to provide a centre of expertise in the prosecution of fraud which is available to support CPS Areas and police investigations in cases which fall outside our take-up criteria.
Where we are
The Division has offices in Manchester, York and London.
Learn more
Please visit the other parts of the CFD website section to learn more about:
In the News
Burrage, Clarke, Turner and Dhaliwal - January 2012
Following a three month trial at Canterbury Crown Court Kevin Burrage and Gary Clarke were convicted of Conspiracy to cheat the Public Revenue. Michael Turner and Davinder Dhaliwal both pleaded guilty to cheating the Public Revenue at the start of the trial.
George Barbary, Specialist Fraud Prosecutor at the CPS said: "The conviction of these five men marks a significant breakthrough in the prosecution and investigation of this kind of alcohol tax fraud which is estimated to cost this country up to £1bn a year.
"Burrage, Clarke, Turner, Dhaliwal and others conspired to pocket millions of pounds in unpaid tax and duty through this fraud. They used their positions and links in the trade to divert hundreds of lorry loads of alcohol from the attention of the authorities to evade taxes and duties rightly owed. What seemed like a bonanza for these criminals was in fact a tax fraud on such a grand scale that it probably resulted in a loss to the taxpayer of £50 million a year - quite possibly more.
"This is far from being a victimless crime. These fraudsters have undermined honest and hardworking retailers, as well as British taxpayers. We would all rather see the money these people stole being spent on schools and hospitals instead of being pocketed by criminals to fund luxurious lifestyles with expensive houses, jewellery, holidays, and cars; including for these defendants, highest specification Mercedes and a Sports Bentley.
"This case saw lawyers from the Crown Prosecution Service and investigators from HMRC working closely with counterparts from Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and Turkey who assisted with the investigation and in many instances provided the vital evidence needed to secure these convictions.
At an earlier trial, John Byrne and Terrence Ward, who were in control of a haulage company, Stag Freight, were convicted for their role in alcohol diversion fraud and were responsible for many of the fraudulent movements in this latest case."
The four were sentenced to nearly 18 years' imprisonment between them.
