Fraud 'mastermind' behind gang who used TV and film aliases jailed for five years

The "mastermind" behind a gang of fraudsters who used aliases inspired by film and TV has been jailed for more than five years.

James Gillingham's "brokers" posed as characters such as Harvey Specter from legal drama Suits and Jonathan Hart from crime series Hart to Hart as they cold-called victims.

Gillingham, 38, tried to make the scam look legitimate by saying they had an office in London's Canary Wharf, which turned out to be just a forwarding address, while it leased just one desk at the Gherkin building.

More than 60 people lost a total of more than £1m after being promised monthly returns of between 0.5 and 5% depending on their investment, as well as a profit after 12 months.

The largest amount lost was £133,000, while others lost tens of thousands.

One victim conned out of more than £45,000 said it had set their life back five or six years.

None of the £1m was actually invested during the 2015 to 2016 scam, said City of London Police.

Gillingham was effectively running a Ponzi scheme with the fresh stream of cash used to pay staff and early investors rather than making genuine profit.

About £650,000 went on staff costs - including more than £200,000 to Gillingham himself - and over £70,000 was paid to Sujanthan Sotheeswaran, who the judge said was the conman's "lieutenant".

Some £167,000 was paid out in supposed "dividends", while £170,000 went on office costs and other expenses.

Gillingham fled the UK in 2016 after investors could no longer access their accounts, withdraw their money or contact staff.

He was deported from Singapore - where he was convicted of assault - in August 2025, and arrested at Heathrow.

Gillingham tried to get bail by using a fake tenancy agreement but eventually admitted fraud, money laundering and perverting the course of justice.

He was sentenced to five years and six months behind bars at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday.

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"As a Ponzi fraud, there was a need to attract further investors to allow sums to be repaid to keep original investors sweet," the judge told him.

"The effect of the evidence was that fresh investors were always being sought throughout the operational period."

The others involved in the scam were jailed in 2024.

Sotheeswaran received three years, while Denis Deegan and Darren Peck got two years and eight months and a suspended sentence respectively.

Prosecutors say they will try to recover assets from Gillingham to repay his victims.

(c) Sky News 2026: Fraud 'mastermind' behind gang who used TV and film aliases jailed for five years