Chess-playing tax agent Robin Moss from Dumfries jailed for decade after stealing more than £750,000

An internationally ranked chess playing tax agent from Dumfries has been jailed for a decade over a £750,000 tax and mortgage fraud.

Robin Moss lied about his income, made bogus claims in the names of unsuspecting clients, and provided false documents that were used in fraudulent mortgage applications.

The 58-year-old, who is an internationally ranked chess player, was convicted of tax and mortgage fraud, money laundering, and theft following an investigation between HM Revenue and Customs and Leicestershire Police.

The tax agent persuaded one client to pay their £53,000 tax bill, which he proceeded to pay straight into his bank account.

Moss splashed thousands of pounds on luxury items. hmrc via Supplied

He used the stolen funds to splash thousands of pounds on luxury items, including more than £115,000 on collectible Moorcroft pottery, £89,251 on gold coins and £18,930 on jewellery.

Moss and his wife Liliana were were arrested by HMRC officers at their home on Kirkland Road, Dumfries, on July 16, 2018. The pair later moved to Cleator in Cumbria before traveling to Poland.

After failing to attend sentencing at Nottingham Crown Court on October 9, he was sentenced in absence to ten years in prison.

Liliana Moss, 49, admitted a £115,000 money laundering charge on June 9 and was sentenced to seven months in prison, suspended for 12 months.

A third person, Rajvir Sahota, admitted mortgage fraud using false documents supplied by Moss and was sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty in May 2021.

Nick Stone, operational lead in HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, said: “Robin Moss abused his position of trust to steal from clients and the taxpayer.

“Tax fraud is never a victimless crime and the eye watering sums he spent on pottery and gold should have been funding the public services we all rely on.

“I hope this sentence serves as a warning to the minority of corrupt professionals who wrongly believe they can use their knowledge to commit fraud.

“We can and will work with our law enforcement partners to bring you to justice and we encourage anyone with information about any type of tax fraud to report it online.”