The websites were just a guise to launder money obtained illegally
Police have recovered more than £5 million from fraudulent companies who used adult entertainment websites as part of an international money laundering operation.
At Manchester Magistrates Court on 30 November 2020 a judge agreed to the forfeiture of £5.8 million of criminally obtained funds following an investigation by GMP s Economic Crime Unit - a specialized unit within GMP s Serious Organised Crime Group.
The company directors had 30 days to appeal the verdict but this time has now passed and they are liable to forfeit the full amount.
It marks the biggest Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) forfeiture in the history of Greater Manchester Police.
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BBC News
Published
image copyrightPA Media
image captionIt is the largest forfeiture under the Proceeds of Crime Act in Greater Manchester Police s history
Police have recovered more than £5m from three fake companies that offered live-streamed exotic dancers as a guise to launder cash.
The Manchester-based firms laundered more than $60m (£44m) over 12 months through fake pay-per-view adult entertainment websites.
A judge agreed they should forfeit £5.8m, which is the largest amount ever recovered by Greater Manchester Police.
It will fund community projects and tackle organised crime, police said.
The force s economic crime unit discovered the websites were not providing the services advertised and were using a third-party payment process to launder the money through a sophisticated and highly organised network , they said.
By Press Association 2021
A 14-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with the murder of a restaurant owner who was hit by his own car following a robbery.
Mohammed Islam, 53, from Hyde, Tameside, was making a food delivery in Romiley, Stockport, on Friday evening, when the incident took place.
He was taken to hospital in a critical condition but died on Sunday afternoon.
On Wednesday, the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Manchester Magistrates’ Court for a brief hearing.
The teenager appeared at Manchester Magistrates’ Court (Jonathan Pow/PA)
He is also charged with various driving offences including causing death by dangerous driving.