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Britannica Learning and Britannica Management Services
Stuart Leary of Britannica Learning and Britannica Management Services fraudulently claimed some £2m funding from the ILA programme. On 1 April 2005 at a preliminary trial he pleaded guilty to two charges of fraudulent trading at Bournemouth Crown Court. He was jailed for 3½ years and banned from being a company director for seven years. The Court also found Steve Moran and John Stirling, who operated as his agents, guilty of conspiracy to defraud following trial. Both men were sentenced to three years imprisonment and banned from holding directorships for five years.
The learning provider signed students up for a course which comprised of a plagiarised version of other software that was repackaged and renamed. The CD-Rom was sent to most students although some did not get it at all. While each disk cost only £1 each, the learning provider claimed £200 from the Department. Additionally they avoided tax by putting the money in offshore accounts.
Confiscation hearings were concluded in July 2006 and the following Orders made;
Stirling, £246,179
Moran, £326,714
Leary, £345,635
Each have a year to pay, and a further 4 years in prison if the money is not paid.
Many similar cases are pending