Essex Businessman Jailed for Cruise Scam, Lived High Life

A guy named Richard Lester got five years in jail. He ran a fake cruise scheme and made £400,000. Lester lived a fancy life. He also had a gambling problem that all came from defrauded customers who paid for cruises never booked.

The judge said he caused much distress. People suffered financial loss, and Lester even “gaslighted” his victims, making them feel it was their fault. This happened in Essex county court, where he was convicted of fraud and hiding criminal money.

The judge banned him from being a director for nine years. He took money from people who felt upset and frustrated. They faced uncertainty and disappointment, losing money, the judge stated. Lester blamed them for the issues.

Some people booked cruises for special occasions like birthdays and weddings. He gambled in poker tournaments quite often, winning a lot of money. Lester lived it up in Las Vegas and in other places too.

Lester ran Cruise Direct UK Ltd. from 2009 to 2014. He sold “cruise vouchers” and “cruise miles” that people could use for cheap cruises. Some got cruises at first, and the firm even won an award in 2012.

Later, many got fake confirmations, and actual cruises were never booked. New customer funds paid old customers. The money also funded Lester’s lifestyle, his gambling, and business ventures.

Some found out at the cruise ports when operators turned them away. People got refunds after the cancellations, but they had to buy more cruise miles later. The miles needed to buy cruises increased.

The company stopped operating completely. Customers lost cruise miles worth lots of money. Agents also bought many miles, earning money selling miles, and they too lost their money.

Lester stole over £400,000 from 184 people who lived all over the world. His victims were in the UK, the US, Australia, and New Zealand. Canada, France, Germany, and Japan were also affected.

A police officer investigated Lester since 2014. She said justice had been served. She noted that Lester hurt his victims, and some people still feel the impact now. Victims lost thousands of pounds that Lester spent on himself.

He never admitted he was guilty, but the case against him was strong. The jury thought he was definitely guilty.

He hid his tracks very carefully using different bank accounts. This moved victim’s money around a lot, but the police showed it stayed under his control.