Scammer who once targeted Stephen Nolan jailed for two years over fresh crimes involving £1.3m fraud against older people
One of Northern Ireland's most complex fraud cases has now reached its conclusion with the jailing of a man for two years.
John Cartmill, 43 and from Coolnasilla Park in west Belfast, is guilty of scamming between £1.2m and £1.3m from his victims.
He admitted 44 charges at an earlier hearing, many of them targeting older people.
He previously got a suspended sentence for fraud in 2014, including scamming money out of TV presenters Stephen Nolan and Eamonn Holmes.
At Belfast Crown Court yesterday he was given two years in prison and two on licence.
Police and the PPS said this sentence sends "a clear message" to would-be scammers.
Meanwhile a trio of men were sentenced to 100 hours of community service each after admitting assisting an offender: Sean Edward McMahon (42 and also of Coolnasilla Park), Barry Martin McLaughlin (47 and of Horn Drive in west Belfast), and Paul Diamond (63, of White Glen, Dunmurry).
The investigation into their crimes was led by the PSNI's Economic Crime Unit.
Detective Chief Inspector Uel Boyd said in a statement: "Between 2017 and 2020, Cartmill contacted a number of account holders, many of them older people, by phone.
"He purported to be a representative from their bank and tricked them into handing over sensitive information.
"He was then able to contact banking institutions with the information the victims had unwittingly provided and claim to be their customer, logging into online banking and quickly moving the funds within the accounts to other accounts throughout the world.
"The total amount lost to the banking industry is £1.3m.
“Today’s sentencing is the result of an extremely complex investigation conducted by detectives and financial investigators, with support from law enforcement partners in multiple jurisdictions.
“Fraud is a crime which has a huge emotional impact on its victims.
"Cartmill targeted the life-savings of innocent people, and acted with no thought for the long-lasting trauma he caused through his deception. His only concern was to line his own pockets.
"Today's sentence should send a clear message to those involved in scamming hard-working people that they will be vigorously pursued and brought before the courts to face the consequences of their actions.
"The lengths that criminals will go to in order to get their hands on your money are extensive, and we would ask everyone to take a minute to question that email, call or text message that seems to be from your bank before acting.
“Don’t respond to unknown calls and texts; don’t give away personal or financial information to people you don’t know; don’t transfer money to unknown people and never click on links in text messages.
“We would encourage the public to have conversations with friends and family who may be vulnerable, to raise awareness on what to do if they receive such a suspicious call or message.”
The PPS meanwhile gave the value of Cartmill's crimes as being "around £1.2m" rather than £1.3m.
Assistant Director Roger Davison said Cartmill "has an extensive criminal record", adding that the case against him had been "one of the most complex fraud cases we have seen".
“The custodial sentence sends a clear message that financial crimes will not go unpunished," he said.
"John Cartmill preyed on innocent victims, causing significant financial and emotional harm."