£35,000 confiscated from Rosyth mortgage fraudster
Published 1 Mar 2012 10:30
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A CONFISCATION Order for £35,000 has been made in court against a woman who lied about having a job in order to gain an £85,000 mortgage.
Anzelika Trifonova, thought to be 31 or 32, and a Latvian national living in Rosyth, had previously pled guilty to a common law mortgage fraud. She was sentenced at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court yesterday (Wednesday) to 250 hours' community service.
Trifonova was found to have made £86,000 from the mortgage fraud.
Lindsey Miller, head of the Serious and Organised Crime Division (SOCD) and the current POCA champion, said, "Anzelika Trifonova lied about having a job in order to gain a mortgage worth £85,500 and, in doing so, made a significant amount of money from crime.
"The Crown takes mortgage fraud extremely seriously and will seek to recover any money made in this way using its powers under Proceeds of Crime legislation.
"Ms Trifonova is the latest in a long line of criminals who have discovered that they will be forced to pay back the money they make through crime.
"This should act as a warning to others considering committing crime.
"The money recovered from Ms Trifonova will now be added to the millions of pounds taken from criminals via the Proceeds of Crime Act and will be reinvested in activities for young people through the CashBack for Communities programme."
Trifonova pled guilty to common law mortgage fraud, committed on 23rd July 2009, at Dunfermline Sheiff Court on 1st February. At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court today, she was sentenced to 250 hours community service.
An investigation showed that Trifonova, a Latvian national, obtained £85,500 of mortgage funds from Halifax Bank of Scotland fraudulently by pretending to be in employment.
She was detained by police officers, at which point she made a full confession and was subsequently cautioned and charged.
A Confiscation Order is an order made by the court following criminal conviction, to pay a fixed sum of money from the proceeds of crime.
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