Finance manager jailed for swindling £219,000 from family business in Walsall
A trusted finance manager who swindled £219,000 from a small family Walsall company to fund his gambling habit has been jailed.
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Mark O'Neill was an integral part of Back Office Pro, was given access to clients' accounts and had authorisation to make payments. When owner Mike Livesey stepped back from his business O'Neill, 37, ramped up his fraud, covering up his crimes by inventing fake bank references, a court heard.
However, when Mr Livesey returned to the company he noticed major financial irregularities and fired O'Neill, of Field Road, Bloxwich. When a £2,321 payment to his own account came to light Mr Livesey asked O'Neill to admit how much he had taken. O'Neill sent a spreadsheet detailing over £109,000 of payments.
Mr Livesey brought the police in to investigate and the final figure turned out to be £218,694.68 taken over three years from November 2020 to November 2023.
O'Neill pleaded guilty to fraud at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court in July and was sentenced yesterday at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
Prosecutor Simon Hanns said: "He had full access to software clients' bank accounts and authorise payments. He was first account manager and then made finance manager and had a trusted position in the company. When the company's owner took a step back from the day to day running of the business O'Neill was even more important to the company.
"He would change the name of the payment references to himself and then go back to edit the account, which meant it took longer for his fraud to be found."
