Kent romance fraudster ordered to pay back £30,000 after conning woman out of life savings
A romance fraudster who conned a woman out of her life savings has been ordered to pay back £30,000. Kye Hughes met his victim online and impressed her by telling her he was a musician.
The 35-year-old said he invested in luxury watches for extra cash, selling them on after buying them at trade price. Hughes convinced the victim that if she invested, she would double her money.
She transferred thousands of pounds to Hughes, believing the scheme to be a legitimate investment. He told her he needed more funds and promised a return on her investment but it never materialised.
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The woman - who in total was defrauded out of £175,235 - reported the fraud to Kent Police and Hughes was arrested in September 2019. Hughes, of Maidstone Road, Rochester, has now been ordered to pay back more than £30,000 to his victim.
He was charged with fraud by false representation and money laundering. He pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing and at Maidstone Crown Court on October 2, 2023 was jailed for three years and four months.
Financial investigators from the Proceeds of Crime Team, later established he held assets totalling £32,144. They applied for a confiscation order for compensation to be paid to the victim, using legislation under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
At a hearing at Maidstone Crown Court on September 27 the order was granted. Hughes has three months to pay or face another 12 months in prison, however will still have to repay the order.
Detective Inspector David Godfrey said: "Our work does not stop at the point of conviction, we will always do everything we can to get as much money as possible back for victims. In this case, the woman was left heartbroken and under serious financial strain after being defrauded out of her life savings.
"I hope the compensation from the confiscation order, will go towards helping her in the recovery of this ordeal."
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