A conman who splashed millions on supercars and boats by selling homes without their owners’ consent faces a lengthy prison sentence following victim impact statements at his recent sentencing hearing at Southwark Crown Court.

Prosecutor Simon Wilshire KC revealed Anopkumar Maudhoo (pictured) should have been deported in 2010 after being convicted of using a fake identity.

Instead, he went on to trick 45 victims out of more than £8.5 million in one of the UK’s biggest property scams and what police describe as “a vast, complex and highly organised scheme”.

Luxury boats

The fraudster used multiple aliases, including Vincent Lebeouf, Pascal Burns and Yusef Khan and spent the proceeds on luxury boats and cars, including several Lamborghinis and a Rolls-Royce.

Maudhoo used two main methods. In his first, he posed as Vincent Lebeouf of Bluebell Associates Limited, offering victims discounted properties allegedly on the verge of repossession. At the same time, to convince buyers, he also posed as solicitor Yusuf Khan of Taylor Rose.

His second scam involved telling victims to invest in heavily discounted properties from a liquidator, promising 15-20% returns. None of the properties was for sale or belonged to Maudhoo.

One can only imagine the surprise of the homeowner in the house he owned and was paying the mortgage every month.”

Homeowners only discovered their properties had been used when strangers arrived and claimed ownership. Prosecutor Wilshire told the court: “One can only imagine the surprise of the homeowner in the house he owned and was paying the mortgage every month.”

And Detective Inspector Damian Barlow said Maudhoo’s offending was “truly shocking”. “Victims have lost significant sums, in some cases exceeding a million pounds.”

One elderly victim claimed the stress and anxiety resulted in a stroke. Another told the court: “The scam robbed me of my life savings and stole my sense of stability.”

As was reported in The Neg, Maudhoo was first arrested in September 2024 and has since appeared in court several times. In his most recent appearance in June, Maudhoo admitted 31 offences, including fraud, possession of false documents and perverting justice. He also asked for 53 additional offences to be considered, bringing the total losses to his 45 victims to £8.5 million.

He will shortly be sentenced, and the Crown has said it intends to pursue his assets through Proceeds of Crime Act legislation.

Image: Shutterstock and Essex Police