An individual has been convicted for breaching the Data Protection Act, but acquitted of fraud and unauthorised business offences, following a prosecution brought by the FCA.
On Monday 1 September, Taunton-based Nicholas Harper, aged 26, pleaded guilty to encouraging or assisting an offence to be committed in breach of the Data Protection Act.
Following a retrial at Southwark Crown Court, a jury today (19 September) found Harper not guilty of conspiracy to defraud and not guilty of an offence related to carrying out regulated activity in the UK without FCA authorisation.
Harper was fined £100 and ordered to pay a £30 victim surcharge for the data protection breach.
Raymondip Bedi and Patrick Mavanga were previously sentenced to a combined 12 years of imprisonment[1] for their role in a scam which defrauded at least 65 investors out of £1,541,799.
A further individual, Minas Filippidis, is wanted in relation to the same offences that Bedi and Mavanga were convicted for.
Notes to editors
- Nicholas Harper’s date of birth is 21 December 1998.
- The FCA is unable to share further details about the breach of the Data Protection Act at this time.
- The individuals were charged in April 2023 - Four individuals face fraud charges[2].
- Harper was found not guilty of conspiracy to breach the general prohibition under the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA) 2000. Under Section 19 of the FSMA, a person cannot carry on a regulated activity in the UK unless they are FCA authorised or exempt (this is the General Prohibition).
- Harper was found not guilty of conspiracy to defraud which is an offence under the Criminal Law Act 1977 and the Fraud Act 2006.
- Find out more information about the FCA[3].