Organised crime group convicted of modern slavery and fraud

Members of an organised crime group who recruited, trafficked and exploited vulnerable teenage girls to commit acts of fraud on their behalf have been convicted of modern slavery and fraud offences.

The criminal gang from Cambridge, London and Essex recruited, trained and trafficked teenage girls across the country to commit refund fraud in high street stores using fake receipts. The girls would be instructed to place fake barcodes on items to pay a much cheaper price, before later asking for a refund at the full price.

Officers from the Met’s Predatory Offender Unit uncovered the extensive criminal enterprise after receiving intelligence from children’s services partners in 2020 who highlighted safeguarding concerns.

Over 30 victims of exploitation were identified and £500k in profits was seized as part of the investigation.

This conviction is believed to be the first time the Modern Slavery Act has been applied to a fraud enterprise in UK law.

Following a three-week trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, 21-year-old Eva Dambrauskaite of Buckhurst Hill, Essex, was found guilty of conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the travel of children for the purposes of exploitation; two counts of conspiracy to defraud; concealing/converting/transferring criminal property (money laundering), possession of articles for use in fraud, and possession of cannabis.

Earlier in May 2021, 38-year-old Isaiah Olugosi of Ely, Cambridgeshire, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the travel of children for the purposes of exploitation; two counts of conspiracy to defraud; concealing/converting/transferring criminal property (money laundering) and possession of articles for use in fraud.

31-year-old Holly Olugosi (Nee Chapman) of Ely, Cambridgeshire, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to concealing/converting/transferring criminal property (money laundering).

Last December, another member of the group, 22-year-old Baran Karamagara, from Tottenham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the travel of children for the purposes of exploitation and two counts of conspiracy to defraud.

All four are due to appear at the same court for sentencing at a date yet to be confirmed.

The court heard that between January 2018 and March 2020, Isaiah Olugosi orchestrated a large-scale fraud enterprise targeting branches of two established retailers across the UK.

Isaiah Olugosi lived with his wife Holly in Cambridgeshire and from at least January 2018, began making money for himself and his family by targeting two retailers using fraudulent receipts and printed barcodes produced at his home. Bank data shows proceeds of crime entering the accounts as far back as 2013.

The operation was too large for one person to control alone and Olugosi quickly began to build up a network of trusted associates including ‘team leaders’ and ‘drivers’ who were willing to partake in this criminal enterprise across the country.

Olugosi’s appointed ‘team leaders’ were Eva Dambrauskaite and Baran Karamagara who were tasked with recruiting and managing vulnerable young girls, typically aged 14-17 years old, in order for them to carry out theft and fraud on behalf of the organised crime group.

Girls were recruited via social media platforms, and approached on the street, mainly from Greater London and Essex. Officers identified over 30 victims of exploitation.

Many of the victims were recruited whilst housed in foster placements or semi-independent supported facilities, and some had frequently been reported missing by their families. The ‘team leaders’ would trick or coerce the girls into joining their criminal enterprise, before Olugosi and his ‘drivers’ would transport them across the UK via pre-planned routes to target branches of each retailer.

The girls would often be missing for several days, committing fraud during the day and being housed in hotels each night.

In the early part of the conspiracy, Isaiah Olugosi would personally drive the victims around, telling them what items to obtain, which fraud technique to use, and which branches to target. As time went on, and with Dambrauskaite and Karamagara acting as his trusted ‘drivers’, Olugosi was able to do less of the leg work.

A typical day would include theft and fraud from over ten stores, making thousands of pounds per ‘route’ for the gang.

The funds gained were then laundered through at least one hundred UK bank accounts, and Isaiah Olugosi, Karamagara and Dambrausakite took control of these accounts, in many instances from children or adults with mental health problems and other vulnerabilities. To evade authorities, mobile phones and vehicles were registered at addresses of adults known to have mental health problems or severe learning difficulties.

By March 2020, the group had yielded approximately £500,000 in profits as a result of their large-scale fraud conspiracy.

Over the course of her husband’s highly profitable criminal enterprise, Holly Olugosi spent large sums of money on luxury items including cosmetic surgery, tanning sessions, a new Mercedes, luxury holidays, and even a fridge costing £2500.

Officers from the Met’s Predatory Offender Unit were first alerted to the actions of this organised crime group after receiving intelligence from partners within Children’s Services and when offences were highlighted by the retailers who had been targeted. Fraud investigators from both organisations had noticed a pattern of young girls securing refunds with fraudulent receipts and noted safeguarding concerns around these children.

Beginning in March 2020, Predatory Offender Unit officers executed a number of search warrants in London, Essex and Cambridge where they seized evidence including printers, computer equipment, fake receipts, bar codes, cash and devices used to communicate with the girls.

Upon searching the Olugosi home in Cambridgeshire, it became apparent that Holly Olugosi had attempted to conceal several pieces of evidence prior to returning to their home where officers were present and searching.

Karamagara and Dambrauskaite were arrested at addresses in Essex and Tottenham on 16 March 2020.

Isaiah Olugosi was arrested at an address in Ilford on 17 March 2020.

Holly Olugosi was interviewed under caution at a police station in Cambridgeshire on 17 June 2020.

Following advice and agreement from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), a second phase of arrests were organised to question and charge Isaiah Olugosi, Dambrauskaite and Karamagara with offences under the Modern Slavery Act.

This is believed to be the first time the Modern Slavery Act has been applied to a fraud enterprise in UK law.

On 26 August 2020, Dambrauskaite and Karamagara were re-arrested, questioned, charged and remanded. Isaiah Olugosi was not present when officers attended his home address in Ely and he promptly took steps to evade police.

Predatory Offender Unit officers tracked him over six days, ultimately arresting him in Bradford, West Yorkshire on 1 September 2020 where he had already created a new life for himself, living in a rented room under an assumed name to evade arrest. He was interviewed, charged and remanded into custody.

Sergeant PJ Jones, officer in the case from the Met’s Predatory Offender Unit, said: “This is a serious case involving the criminal exploitation of a large number of juvenile girls spanning many years.

“Olugosi and others were too cowardly to execute their own crimes, and actively recruited girls with obvious vulnerabilities. They embedded themselves through peer groups of vulnerable people using them to commit fraud and using their accounts to launder money.

“This was a protracted investigation which involved countless enquiries, witness statements and searches of premises to secure evidence from offences as widely spread as Glasgow and Devon. Throughout the proceedings, all of the suspects in this case did everything they could to conceal evidence, minimise their own involvement and delay justice.

“I am thankful to the staff from both retailers for highlighting this case as a safeguarding concern from the outset, voicing concerns about the ages of the girls involved.

“Without the bravery of all of the victims and witnesses in this case, the enterprise would never have been unearthed and I wish to thank them all for their trust. The Metropolitan Police Service has officers dedicated to confronting those targeting vulnerable people and continues to work closely with partners to tackle Modern Slavery and exploitation.”

Marie Olo, of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “Isaiah Olugosi recruited, coached and transported teenage girls around the country to commit refund fraud in High Street stores.

“The girls were selected because they were vulnerable with difficult backgrounds or mental health problems, and when they were caught, he was perfectly willing to step back and let them face arrest and potential prosecution.

“When he learned the police had discovered his involvement, he tried desperately but unsuccessfully to destroy evidence and hide money.

“Exploiting others for criminal gain is a serious criminal offence and wherever possible, the CPS will work with police to help victims escape the clutches of modern slavery, while prosecuting the people who have pulled the strings.”