Wills: Solicitor claimed for wills he had not written
A solicitor who defrauded Cancer Research UK out of £4,800 by submitting false claims for will-writing services has been handed a suspended prison sentence.
Michael Fogg, 47, from Cyncoed, Cardiff, dishonestly claimed on numerous occasions that he had prepared wills on behalf of Cancer Research UK and subsequently received payment from the charity for work that had not been carried out.
Cancer Research UK operates a free will service, enabling individuals to have a simple, or mirror, will drafted through a participating solicitor or other legal service provider at no cost. The charity covers the cost of the will and encourages users to consider leaving a gift in their will to support its work.
Fogg joined the service in December 2021 as the sole solicitor at Trusting Willpower Ltd.
When a person uses the service and donates £100 or more, Cancer Research UK sends them a thank-you card. In total, 32 cards were issued to individuals for whom Fogg had claimed to have prepared wills.
The fraud came to light when three recipients contacted the charity to state that they had never instructed a will to be drafted. When challenged, Fogg maintained that he had received instructions and completed the work.
Cancer Research UK’s counter fraud team reported him to Report Fraud, formerly Action Fraud, in July 2023 and an investigation was allocated to Tarian, the regional organised crime unit for southern Wales.
Fogg pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation in June and was sentenced last week at Newport Crown Court to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, a two-year probation order, and 120 hours of unpaid work.
Detective Constable Thomas Connick, of Tarian ROCU, said: “As a solicitor, Fogg was entrusted to act with honesty, integrity and professionalism. Instead, he abused that position of trust by submitting false claims and receiving payment for work that had never been carried out.
“This was a deliberate fraud committed for personal financial gain, with the victim being a charity that relies on public generosity and donations to fund vital cancer research.
“I would like to thank Cancer Research UK for their support throughout this investigation. Their diligence in identifying concerns and reporting them ensured that this offending was uncovered.”
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