Businessman Receives Record Jail Sentence

Terence Dugbo received a jail sentence of 7 years and 6 months.  Mr Dugbo was found guilty of defrauding paperwork to claim that his Leeds based firm, TLC Recycling, had collected and recycled in excess of 19,500 tonnes of electrical waste during 2011.

A major Environmental Agency investigation was launched and at the 7 week trial it was found that TLC Recycling had never handled the amounts of waste described and the company was not entitled to the recycling fees it was paid.

The Environment Agency argued at Leeds Crown Court that the Defendant had received the money through a Government backed producer compliance scheme.  This is where organisations pay for the recycling of old electrical goods to offset the production of new equipment.

Seized documents showed that TLC recycling were claiming money for waste collections from streets and properties that did not even exist.

In addition, vehicles used to transfer waste were recorded as being in different parts of the UK on the same day.  A moped was said to have carried waste 42 times in one day and the weights of items were greatly exaggerated.

Mr Dugbo, who has previous convictions for fraud and illegally exporting banned, hazardous waste to Nigeria denied the charges of conspiracy to defraud, acting as a company director whilst disqualified and breaching an environmental permit condition.  Mr Dugbo was found guilty on all counts.

Dugbo’s prison sentence of 7 years and 6 months was welcomed by the Environment Agency and Judge Clark, in his sentencing, described the fraud as sophisticated and commented: “What I find really amazing was the amount and complexity of the false paperwork.  The scale of the investigation here was enormous.  It took Dr Salter and his team nearly a year to go through the documents they seized in a search of the premises.”

Dr Salter, an Environmental Crime Officer at the Environment Agency, said following the hearing: “The length of the sentence handed out by the Court today demonstrates the seriousness of Dugbo’s activities.  Hopefully this case and the record sentence will act as a warning to others who commit waste crime that they will be pursued and, if convicted, could face serious punishment.”

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