'Real-life Wolf of Wall Street' ordered to pay back £64m in biggest ever order
An on-the-run fraudster known as the "real-life Wolf of Wall Street" has been slapped with what is believed to be the biggest proceeds of crime order ever made.
Anthony Constantinou, 42, has been ordered to pay back £64 million or spend 14 more years in prison for a huge fraud. Constantinou fled Britain during his £70million investment scam trial at Southwark Crown Court in 2023. He was jailed in his absence for 14 years for fraud and money laundering, duping 312 investors from 2013 to 2015. It was reported last year that a death certificate has emerged appearing to show he died of a heart attack in Guadalajara, Mexico, and was cremated the next day.
But David Marchant, of investigative bureau Offshore Alert, said: "It's possible he faked his own death. I think he's probably still alive."
The confiscation order was made by a judge at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday. Constantinou was jailed for 12 months in 2016 for molesting two women in an atmosphere of "sexual bullying" likened at the Old Bailey to the Hollywood film The Wolf Of Wall Street.
He was three years old when his father, the millionaire clothes designer Aristos Constantinou, was shot dead in his London mansion in 1985 as he returned from a New Year's Eve party with his wife. The unsolved case became known as the silver bullet murder because he had been killed with six bullets in polished nickel jackets.
Adrian Foster of the Crown Prosecution Service said of the confiscation order: 'This was a callous scam targeting members of the public. Many people lost their hard-earned money because of Constantinou's greed and false promises in this fake investment scheme.
'We continue to pursue the proceeds of crime robustly with the City of London Police, where we identify available assets, to disrupt and deter large scale frauds like this case.
'In the last five years, over £478 million has been recovered from CPS obtained Confiscation Orders, ensuring that thousands of convicted criminals cannot profit from their offending.
"£95 million of that amount has been returned to victims of crime, by way of compensation.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
3 hours ago
- Sky News
Celebrity osteopath jailed for voyeurism after spying on thousands of women
A celebrity osteopath who secretly took pictures and videos of thousands of women has been jailed for three years and five months. Torben Stig Hersborg, from Tower Hamlets, east London, was found to have filmed and photographed around 2,000 women across more than a decade at his clinic in Old Street. The 64-year-old - labelled "one of London's most prolific voyeurs" - also recorded women on beaches, on footpaths, waiting at bus stops or for the Tube and when they were in their own homes. The Danish national - who had a celebrity client list including sports stars and actors - admitted to eight counts of voyeurism and was jailed at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday. Alex Weichselbaum, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Hersborg operated in plain sight for too long. "Having targeted thousands of women over 12 years, we believe the scale and significance of his offending makes him one of London's most prolific voyeurs. "Hersborg deliberately abused the trust of his unwitting patients by filming them in intimate positions and targeted strangers for his own sexual gratification. "Women should be free to live their lives without unwanted intrusion - particularly from sexual offenders like Hersborg who deliberately chose to film or photograph them in their most private or intimate moments." Hersborg's crimes were revealed when a member of the public called the police in December last year after they saw him in the backseat of his vehicle, parked outside university accommodation in Islington, north London. He was sat on top of black plastic bags and wearing black gloves. A telescope was found in the car, as well as a video camera pointed at students inside the building. Officers found thousands of photos and videos on devices in his possession after his arrest, including images of women undressing in their own bedrooms and two of women having sexual intercourse. The women in the photographs and videos could not be identified, the CPS said.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Cops' shocking blunder left monster free to murder innocent gran on dog walk – he had all the traits of a serial killer
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) "LAZY" police made a shocking blunder which allowed an evil monster to murder a grandmother while she walked her dog, a top cop claims. Roy Barclay was on Suffolk Police's list of most wanted criminals but he was able to avoid being recalled to prison for two years before killing defenceless Anita Rose in Brantham, last July. 17 Roy Barclay during his arrest at a library months after the killing Credit: PA 17 Anita Rose was beaten to death as she walked her dog Credit: PA 17 One of the makeshift camps Barclay was staying in Credit: Crown Prosecution Service Ex-Met cop Peter Bleksley told The Sun: "This was an utterly avoidable and preventable murder." Barclay, 56 - who was convicted of the gran-of-13's murder last week - had been living off-grid in makeshift camps, thus breaching his licencing conditions which stated he should remain at a fixed address. He had been jailed in 2015 for the violent, unprovoked assault on 82-year-old Leslie Gunfield in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, before being released on parole in 2020. Despite his nomadic existence, Barclay left a sizeable digital footprint, including using his bank card to order items online, and leaving hundreds of reviews on Google Maps, showing he was in Suffolk and Essex. But, crucially, police failed to act and arrest him for the breach for two years before it was too late. "He clearly should have been a priority," continued Mr Bleksley. "His previous violent offending - not only should he not have been released halfway through his sentence, I think he pulled the wool over the eyes of the Parole Board - but a man with that kind of violent history, should be a priority. "These people should not be walking the streets of Britain." Barclay stalked Anita, 57, on the morning of July 24 2024 before kicking and stamping on her so viciously her injuries were akin to the victim of a head-on crash. He fled the scene, leaving loyal dog Bruce by his owner's side. She died in hospital four days later. First pic of 'superyacht slasher' accused of murdering stewardess in £9.5m vessel engine room days before 21st birthday Mr Bleksley said: "This man could and should have been arrested. With the right amount of officers, with the necessary experience and expertise, this should have taken days and not weeks because he was leaving a significant footprint." He went on to say: "It is possible to find and arrest virtually any wanted person, so long as sufficient resources and expertise are deployed." He added "the harsh reality" is that so many more people are being released early from prison or given non-custodial sentences "that huge numbers" are breaching orders and probation. But overrun forces are simply kicking the can down the road, in the hopes such people turn up after committing further crimes, preferably in other force areas, he claims. Mr Bleksley said: "Wanted people are not pursued like they should be. The files are put away, they're put on the police computers and left to collect dust in the hope they are picked up for a lesser crime. That's the reality. "That's what a current working detective told me just days ago." He added: "That is the harsh, contemporary reality because of resources and such like. "The harsh reality of increasingly dangerous and lawless Britain, and women are losing their lives." 17 Barclay posted about Flatford shortly before he was arrested Credit: GOOGLE 17 Barclay was convicted of murder earlier this month Credit: PA 17 Barclay left a massive digital footprint - the red dots show all the locations he reviewed and photographed between 2022 and 2024 Credit: GOOGLE He compared Ms Rose's murder to that of 35-year-old Zara Aleena, who was sexually assaulted and murdered by Jordan McSweeney as she walked home in Ilford, East London, in June 2022. In 2010, when he was a teenager, McSweeney was convicted over an attack on a young woman he had left with a swollen eye. Eleven years later, he was made the subject of a restraining order that barred him from contacting another female victim, but breached his probation and was not picked up before attacking Ms Aleena. "With the right resources he would have been picked up quickly, and Zara Aleena would be alive today, just like Anita would be alive today," Mr Bleksley said. He went on to explain an analyst would be able to "pinpoint" the areas Barclay was active in without much issue - as happened once he became a suspect in Ms Rose's murder. "Proper analytical examination of his postings, of his behaviours, his lifestyle, should have meant he could have been found. "Like he was eventually, sadly, once he's committed murder and sufficient resources were deployed to it. "Once you put the resources into it, you find these people. "Tragically, it took a woman's life to be taken before resources were deployed." Mr Bleksley said various police services clearly prioritise "where they see fit", adding: "Policing is a numbers game, to a certain extent. 17 Ms Rose seen leaving her home moments before she was attacked Credit: PA 17 Police at the scene in Brantham, Suffolk Credit: East Anglia News Service 17 Barclay is seen stalking along the road before committing the murder Credit: Suffolk Police "Many chiefs argue for more funding, and they do have a point." He compared UK policing to Italy, where he recently visited, saying: "It's got 10 million less than the UK but twice as many officers and half the amount of crime. It's basic, simple numbers." Three months after the Ms Rose murder, Barclay's final few Google reviews were about Flatford, a historic area on the Essex-Suffolk border famed for inspiring iconic paintings. He was camping just a mile away from the murder site. Mr Bleksley said he was essentially goading cops. "By the time he started putting those posts, after this dreadful murder, he clearly thought they're not going to find me." He said the descriptions of Ms Rose's murder are "particularly galling", and added he believes Barclay would certainly have killed again if he wasn't caught. He said his "trademark" of leaving a dog lead wrapped around the victim's leg was also done in his previous assault offence. Asked if he could have become a serial killer, Mr Bleksley said: "Of course, without any doubt whatsoever. "He takes trophies, he leaves trademark wrapping of the leads twice round the leg, he attacked an elderly vulnerable man beforehand. 17 Ms Rose with her dog Bruce was completely unawares Credit: Suffolk Police 17 A handout issued by Suffolk Police showing the map and timeline of events Credit: PA 17 Anita is a gran of 13 Credit: Facebook "This is an absolute monster and danger to the elderly, a coward because he picks on the elderly. Picks on a lone female. Absolutely revolting waste of space." He went on to say: "The cases that grab people's attention and frighten them to their very core are when the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and that is exactly what happened in this case. "This wonderful woman, mother of six, grandma of 13, much loved partner, should of course have been free to walk her dog as she chose." Asked why someone like Barclay would target random strangers, Mr Bleksley continued: "It is often a complete and utter waste of time trying to rationalise the workings of an irrational mind. "That said, his similar behaviour in the past went some way in helping to convict him. "As for his mentality, deal with what's in front of you, and there should have been plenty in front of detectives to have arrested him before he murdered and not after he'd murdered. "That didn't happen. It's 2025 we're talking about, when analysis, geographical analysis, geographical patterns, the science is so far advanced, crimes these day are solved by mobile phone evidence, digital footprints, CCTV. "These things could quite easily have been utilised to find him, they weren't and a woman is dead as a result, needlessly." Mr Bleksley added: "There'll be more cases. In the current situation, if this is allowed to go on, there'll be more and more cases. "There are too many dangerous people out there and not enough prison places for them." 17 Officers scouring the area near where Anita was found Credit: East Anglia News Service 17 Police an and around Rectory Lane in Grantham Credit: Darren Fletcher 17 CCTV grabs released by police after Ms Rose was killed Credit: PA A chance meeting with a Suffolk Police officer near White Bridge, between Brantham and Manningtree, finally led to Barclay's arrest in October last year. Barclay gave the officer, Det Con Simpson, a fake name, coming across as "quite nervous and quite anxious", the detective said. Six days later, at Ipswich County Library, Barclay was arrested and was subsequently charged with Anita's murder, which he denied. After his conviction, the Crown Prosecution Service described Barclay as "an individual that… has a history for acting violently so we knew that this was somebody that could act unprovoked in a very violent manner". Assistant Chief Constable Alice Scott said: 'Following the conviction resulting from the trial of Roy Barclay for the murder of Anita Rose last summer, a voluntary partnership review will now be conducted under the MAPPA* process involving the police and the probation service. 'It will look closely at the information sharing processes and how the organisations collaborated in terms of Barclay who was wanted on recall to prison when he murdered Anita. 'This review will be a thorough assessment and scrutiny of the processes concerning Barclay. "It will be expedited as soon as possible so we can provide clear and definitive answers for Anita's family. "Our thoughts remain with Anita's family and friends as they reflect on the past year, and our force Family Liaison Officers will continue to remain in close dialogue with them as the review progresses.' A Suffolk Police spokesperson told The Sun: "As this review is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further." Do you know more? Email 17 Barclay had previously been jailed for a sick attack Credit: East Anglia News Service
Rhyl Journal
4 days ago
- Rhyl Journal
Five people charged over alleged break-in during Palestine Action protest
The group is accused of forcing their way into Elbit's South Gloucestershire facility on August 6 last year, causing extensive damage and seriously assaulting staff and two police officers. Counter Terrorism Policing South East carried out a series of raids on Tuesday before arresting the five suspects. The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised charges and said it will submit to the court that the offences were committed with a terrorist connection. Finn Collins, 20, from Whitstable in Kent; Harland Archer, also 20 and from Whitstable; Salaam Mahmood, 19, from London; Moiz Ibrahim, 27, from London; and Louie Adams, 33, from London, have all been charged with aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder. They are due to appear from custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday. A sixth person, a 66-year-old man from Bristol, was also arrested during Tuesday's operation – but has since been released without charge. Ten people were arrested shortly after the incident in August 2024, and a further eight in November. All 18 were later charged and are awaiting trial. Elbit Systems UK, which is Israeli-owned, has been repeatedly targeted by Palestine Action over its role in producing military technology.
