Identity Theft Scandal: Crooks Impersonate Pilot and Lawyer in £500K Company Scam!

Brian Docherty and Declan Kearney exploited real identities to lease luxury vehicles and purchase high-value items.

Two individuals, using stolen identities from a pilot, a lawyer, and a former detective, orchestrated a fraudulent scheme worth over half a million pounds and were sentenced today to a combined four years in prison.

Brian Docherty, aged 49, and Declan Kearney, aged 33, established counterfeit companies for the purpose of leasing high-end vehicles and purchasing other valuable goods under false pretenses. Docherty, hailing from Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, confessed to frauds totaling £303,500.

Meanwhile, Declan Kearney, from Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, admitted to committing frauds worth £247,500. These crimes were prosecuted at the Glasgow Sheriff Court covering incidents from August 2015 to January 2018.

Sheriff Louise Arrol sentenced Docherty to 27 months and Kearney to 21 months in prison.

Sheriff Arrol remarked that Docherty was involved in “a sophisticated and financially driven scheme” and noted that no repayments had been made. She acknowledged that Kearney’s criminal activities were fueled by a drug addiction, which he has since overcome.

Given the seriousness of their offenses, both men exceeded the threshold necessary for custodial sentences, according to the sheriff.

A further hearing concerning a serious crime prevention order for Docherty and Kearney is scheduled for August. They reportedly created several businesses using the identities of actual individuals including retired detective sergeant Thomas Rodgers, retired solicitor Andrew Biggart, and pilot David Sweeney.

Prosecutor Ryan Watson explained that Docherty and Kearney would approach legitimate businesses to arrange credit facilities or to lease equipment and vehicles under fabricated identities.

On the few occasions payments were made, they were fraudulent and resulted in bounced cheques. Docherty managed to secure £100,000 worth of Audi vehicles from a fleet management company and another £50,000 from the same brand, falsely claiming they were for a roofing firm. He also acquired £120,000 of vehicles from another company, pretending to be Mr. Biggart, a supposed director of a cleaning company. Other frauds included the procurement of £1,500 worth of security equipment.

Kearney arranged for the lease of 18 vehicles totaling £200,000 for a supposed roofing company and acquired 8,000 slates valued at £2,500. He also managed to use fuel worth £30,000 without payment.

The fraudulent activities came to light when Mr. Rodgers received notifications from finance companies about defaults on payments. When police contacted Mr. Biggart in 2015 about his alleged directorship of a cleaning company, he was shocked, as it was the first he heard of it. At the time, he was actually a director of 10 legitimate companies and had to take steps to rectify the situation. Mr. Sweeney became aware of the misuse of his identity when Mercedes informed him of missed payments for a vehicle in 2016.

To date, no repayment has been made for the fraudulent transactions.