Woman to stand trial for escorts swindle
A SCOTS woman will stand trial next month over a multimillion pound international racket linked to high- class escort agencies.
Geraldine French was extradited back to Britain last year after being arrested in Spain.
The 60-year-old, from Dunfermline, Fife, is accused of being involved in a fraud that allegedly affected more than 15,000 people in the UK.
It is claimed that they paid more than £5million to debt firms and escort agency companies based in the Costa del Sol.
The Scot, who allegedly acted with others, has been charged with fraud and laundering millions of pounds through escort agencies based in the Spanish region.
Victims were allegedly conned into believing that they could earn up to £1,000 a night by signing up as
‘Yachts and several luxury cars’
potential male or female escorts working for agencies called Ador-abelles, Date Angels, Diamond Companions and Delightful Stars.
However, those who expressed interest were told that they would only be accepted as escorts and receive contact details for clients when they had handed over a registration fee.
But it is alleged that they never heard from the agencies again after parting with their money.
French pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiracy to defraud and three counts of money laundering – totalling £5,128,000 – at a hearing at Ipswich Crown Court earlier this month.
It is alleged that she acted as a company officer in some of the firms involved, namely Blue Media Ltd and Greenway Marketing Ltd.
European Escorts, part of Blue Media, was one of nearly 30 dating-for- cash companies that allegedly conned Britons for upfront fees through telesales teams based in Fuengirola and other popular resorts along the Costa del Sol coastline.
French, who has been remanded in custody, is scheduled to appear at Ipswich Crown Court for trial, which is expected to start at the beginning of next month.
Four co-defendants – who have all pleaded not guilty – will also appear and the case is expected to run until June.
Meanwhile, another pensioner has already pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud connected with the multimillion pound scam.
Toni Muldoon, 66, is facing a long prison sentence after admitting his part in the internet escort and ‘debt elimination’ scheme.
Muldoon was arrested at the Miramar Hotel in Fuengirola in May 2012 under a European Arrest Warrant, f ollowing a long investigation started by Suffolk Trading Standards.
He was extradited to the UK in June last year.
In September 2012, the former timeshare entrepreneur – who enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in Spain with at least two yachts and several luxury cars – pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to defraud at Ipswich Town Court.
The swindle is alleged to have involved victims throughout the United Kingdom.
No pleas were entered on the charges of money laundering which Muldoon was also facing and these will lie on file.
The pensioner will be sentenced at a later date.