Bosses Jailed for £8.8M VAT Scam

0:00Four bosses from a West Lothian company just got hit with more than 22 years behind bars for stealing 8.8 million pounds in. Value added tax. Martin Lang, 68, Graham Cullen, 54, Leslie Thompson, 63, and Graham Newall, 49, ran the scam through outfits like Linear Services in Livingston. They charged clients back for payroll work from 2015 to 2017, but never paid it to the tax man. Instead, they shuffled the cash through bank accounts to themselves, family, and associates. Over those 21 months, it all fueled their wild spending sprees on luxury homes, flashy cars, diamonds, gold bars, malaga vacations, and even. Grand national trips. Prosecutors are calling it a win for justice, stressing that tax fraud robs public services we all depend on. Examples from the Crown Office and H.M. Revenue and Customs say their teamwork cracked this complex scheme, sending a strong warning to other cheats.

1:01Individual sentences came down Tuesday at Glasgow High Court. Thompson got seven years, Cullen six years, Newall five years, and six months, while Lang, who copped a plea for his half of the theft, drew four years. Thompson's already doing six years from another big tax scam that nailed 20 directors, proving these guys don't learn quick. With sentences this heavy, it's clear the systems drawing a hard line on ripping off the public purse. Stay in form with Edinburgh News Today, AI-powered updates.