0:00:02 > 0:00:06One thing that makes this country great is that, when we find someone in need, we help them out.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09A much needed hand up when times are tough.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12I felt like a total outsider.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14But then, whenever there's cash on offer,
0:00:14 > 0:00:18you'll always find someone who wants to steal it.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22She was fleecing the department for a lot of money.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26But those who cheat the system will often get what's coming to them.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30If we find out what you've done is criminal, you could end up in prison.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34This is the world of Saints And Scroungers.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Yes, this is Saints And Scroungers.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04We uncover people trying to steal money from the taxpaying public.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08We also share the stories of society's good Samaritans
0:01:08 > 0:01:12who selflessly help those in need.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Fraudsters are brought to justice.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18And the saints ensure that those in genuine need get what they're entitled to.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Coming up on today's show.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25A deceitful family thought they'd cheat the system.
0:01:26 > 0:01:33Nobody likes paying taxes but that's how services are provided in our society.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37And a devoted pensioner is given a helping hand.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41I wouldn't be getting the allowances without the help.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47We're lucky enough to live in a country
0:01:47 > 0:01:52where there's a welfare system that helps those in genuine need.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55But sometimes those who claim to be in genuine need
0:01:55 > 0:01:57are not as needy as they make out.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03And some of these people are not paying what they should into the public purse.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08Meet the Coffeys. A family struggling to make ends meet.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13Father and son, John and Michael Coffey, work together at the family paving business in Wales
0:02:13 > 0:02:15but don't bring in a large income.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20John's wife Brigid and their two grown-up daughters are unemployed and claiming benefits.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25But the family paving business wasn't up to scratch
0:02:25 > 0:02:31and father and son Coffey ended up in court for a series of trading standards offences.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35Unhappy customers and a trail of shoddy work.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs got wind of this
0:02:39 > 0:02:41and decided to have a little dig around themselves.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45The case was picked up by criminal investigator Simon De-Kayne.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50The initial steps by HMRC,
0:02:50 > 0:02:55when we were first made aware of the Trading Standards proceedings,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59was to make enquiries within our own records as to the family members
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and the business that we were aware of as to whether we had any record.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07It was at that stage when, not having found any record,
0:03:07 > 0:03:13that the matter was then referred to criminal investigations for us to dig a lot deeper.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17So no company records. That means no tax paid.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21A team of dedicated fraud inspectors got on the case
0:03:21 > 0:03:24and unearthed some suspicious facts when it came to the lifestyle
0:03:24 > 0:03:27of this supposedly impoverished family.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32One of those fraud investigators wishes to remain anonymous due to the nature of his work.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36The Coffey family lived a lifestyle
0:03:36 > 0:03:39that would suggest they were earning large amounts of money
0:03:39 > 0:03:41to be able to support that lifestyle.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45They had a lot of high-value motor vehicles such as Mitsubishis,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Mercedes, that they were driving around in.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Certainly, the main residence in Cardiff
0:03:51 > 0:03:54was quite an expensive property.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Yes, it is all sounding a bit fishy.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00Surviving on benefits, yet living a life of luxury.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05Someone at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs should be able to tell me what was going on.
0:04:05 > 0:04:10Let's try HMRC spokesperson Clare Merrills.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13How much did John Coffey say
0:04:13 > 0:04:17that he and his son combined were earning?
0:04:17 > 0:04:21They were claiming that they were earning £250 a week between them.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25Right. Did that seem to you odd a little bit?
0:04:25 > 0:04:28It's not really that much, is it,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32for two people who are living in a very grand house
0:04:32 > 0:04:35and driving lots of very nice sporty cars?
0:04:35 > 0:04:40Do you as investigators take notice of that sort of stuff?
0:04:40 > 0:04:44If somebody is living in a very large house, or the family has very expensive cars,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48and the only incoming they're claiming to have is £250 a week,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51then that does begin to ring very large alarm bells.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57The investigation tried to get permission from the courts
0:04:57 > 0:05:00to gain access into the financial dealings of John Coffey.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Granting access to someone's finances
0:05:02 > 0:05:05is not a decision the courts take lightly.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08And they have to be convinced it's a necessary step.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12And what unfolded came as a shock to everyone involved.
0:05:12 > 0:05:18The investigators found that there were 29 bank accounts in a variety of names.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23Mostly variations or aliases used by the various family members.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28And there was also the public front-facing company account,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30which obviously showed a small amount of money.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35So the company made no money but the family seemed to be, well, not short of it.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Obviously, in this case, the way the Coffey family set up their finances
0:05:39 > 0:05:42with 29 different bank accounts,
0:05:42 > 0:05:48it was clearly set up as a way to disguise the true level of income
0:05:48 > 0:05:52from each particular source and where that income was going.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57For a business such as block paving, tarmacing,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00you wouldn't expect to see
0:06:00 > 0:06:0229 different bank accounts.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06You'd expect to see one or two bank accounts at most.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11Certainly, with 29 bank accounts, it was rather unusual.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14When the investigators began to dig deeper,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18they were astounded by the huge volume of transactions
0:06:18 > 0:06:20going through these 29 accounts.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23A whopping £2 million.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27And with this staggering amount of money passing through multiple bank accounts,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30well, it adds up to a lot of unpaid tax.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Not the small family business we thought.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38So the different companies that John Coffey was using, what did you discover about those?
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Well, that there was one company that was registered with us.
0:06:42 > 0:06:47They were declaring that they were having a small amount of income through that.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52They were using that as their legitimate front to say, "We are registered with you."
0:06:52 > 0:06:56"We're doing everything we need to." They were using this company.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01Then they were sending invoices to customers from another company that we knew nothing about.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04That was the one that they put the £2 million through.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09The investigators could tell from the transactions that
0:07:09 > 0:07:13much of the money was from customers of the Coffeys who'd had their driveways paved.
0:07:13 > 0:07:20So the next thing was to speak to these customers directly to find out how they paid for the work.
0:07:20 > 0:07:25The Coffeys offered discounts if the customers agreed to pay in cash.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29Those that had paid by cheque were invariably asked
0:07:29 > 0:07:35to make the payee of the cheque blank so that that could be filled in at a later date.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39We could then see that numerous cheques had been passed through various bank accounts,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42not only in any of the company names but also
0:07:42 > 0:07:45through accounts held by the daughters.
0:07:45 > 0:07:52The son, Michael Coffey, would deal with the customers and he would have a stamp,
0:07:52 > 0:07:57which he would use on cheques, which was M Coffey.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02A customer would think the money was going into an account controlled by him.
0:08:02 > 0:08:08When, in actual fact, a lot of those cheques went through the accounts of Mary Coffey.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13Mary Coffey. Coffey's unemployed daughter surviving on the breadline and claiming benefits.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Seems like it wasn't just a father and son operation after all.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23All five of them, to varying degrees, were involved in the landscaping business.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27The female members of the family, Brigid who is the wife of John,
0:08:27 > 0:08:31and their two daughters Helen and Mary Coffey,
0:08:31 > 0:08:37were involved in advertising, obtaining advertising
0:08:37 > 0:08:39for the driveway business.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42And they were also involved in taking customers
0:08:42 > 0:08:47to small claims courts when people had refused to pay them.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50A lot of money from their business went through their accounts.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54Um, they were all claiming benefits
0:08:54 > 0:08:56to which they weren't entitled.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03Yes, it turns out Mrs Coffey and her two daughters were heavily involved in the family business.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Not penniless or unemployed as they claimed to be.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11Had the police unearthed the true extent of this family's fraud
0:09:11 > 0:09:14or was it still just the tip of the iceberg?
0:09:14 > 0:09:19As the investigation progressed, we knew more about their finances through their bank accounts.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22We knew about their property portfolio.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Like a jigsaw, we were able to start to put the pieces together
0:09:25 > 0:09:31to see the whole picture as to what they were actually doing by way of making a living
0:09:31 > 0:09:34and what they were doing with their finances.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43For now, it's farewell to the fraudsters and hello to those people we call saints.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46The ones in society who help others in genuine need
0:09:46 > 0:09:50who are too proud or don't know how to claim what is rightfully theirs.
0:09:54 > 0:10:00In the UK, almost 10 million people are now over the age of 65.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05For many of them, they're able to make the most of their later years staying active and engaged.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08But the sudden loss of a life partner
0:10:08 > 0:10:13can turn those years into a lonely and difficult time.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17That was the case with Jack and Eunice Burgess
0:10:17 > 0:10:20who had been married for over 60 years.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24When his wife tragically passed away, Jack was left heartbroken.
0:10:24 > 0:10:30She was a very brave woman. She was. All her life.
0:10:30 > 0:10:31Very popular.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37He started to worry that he could lose their home since, as a couple,
0:10:37 > 0:10:42they'd relied heavily on financial help and benefits registered in her name.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46She was getting attendance allowance, I was getting carer's allowance.
0:10:46 > 0:10:52With the couple both in their 80s, the period leading up to Eunice's death had been very challenging.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57Eventually, my wife developed osteoporosis.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02It's a bone disease and, um, and wasting and, um...
0:11:02 > 0:11:08her back became very troublesome indeed.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Such a trouble, in fact, that Eunice struggled to use the stairs
0:11:11 > 0:11:15in the house that they'd shared for more than 40 years.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Carers came to help Jack's wife.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23But he was frankly unimpressed with the care, which he saw as unreliable.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28So he decided to take matters into his own hands.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Their times were so erratic.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32And inconvenient.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36So I decided I'd do it myself. Which I did.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38But it wasn't as easy as he thought.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42Parts of the house weren't suitable for two people in their 80s.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45It was very difficult for her to get in and out of the bath.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50And because I used to help her in and out of the bath for a shower.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55Eventually, the physical burden of helping his wife up and down the stairs
0:11:55 > 0:11:58and in and out of the bath became too much for Jack.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00He contacted the Papworth Trust,
0:12:00 > 0:12:05a charity he'd been referred to by his local Citizens Advice Bureau a few years earlier.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Papworth Trust is a disability charity.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11It's been in operation as a charity for over 100 years.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16It helps disabled people lead independent lives.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Jack came to us in 2008 for help with his windows.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Obviously, he knew about the service.
0:12:22 > 0:12:28When his and his wife's health deteriorated, he came back to us for help with
0:12:28 > 0:12:32a level access shower for both of them and a stairlift for his wife.
0:12:32 > 0:12:38A caseworker went out an assessed all of Jack's needs,
0:12:38 > 0:12:43which included applying for attendance allowances for his wife
0:12:43 > 0:12:47and other benefits he wasn't currently getting.
0:12:47 > 0:12:52One of the benefits Jack didn't realise he was entitled to was a disabled facilities grant.
0:12:52 > 0:12:57It's a grant that is used for people living in their own home,
0:12:57 > 0:12:59or with somebody living in their home that's disabled,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02to improve or adapt their home.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06The grant was approved to modify their house
0:13:06 > 0:13:10and work began on installing a stairlift and replacing
0:13:10 > 0:13:13the dangerous bath with a level access shower.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Right then, life took a tragic turn.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21My wife's condition deteriorated.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26Unfortunately, it came out that she had breast cancer.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30Eunice was admitted to hospital, where doctors discovered the cancer
0:13:30 > 0:13:34had spread to her lungs and kidneys and was untreatable.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Before she died, everybody was round.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41The grandchildren by her bedside.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45She decided that enough was enough.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48And she'd suffered enough.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52She'd seen everybody, she was happy, and she said she'd had a good life.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55And she went to sleep.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59She asked for morphine, went to sleep, and that was that.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07Sadly, Eunice passed away just days before her 81st birthday,
0:14:07 > 0:14:12leaving Jack to cope alone in a house that he desperately wanted to stay in.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15It still needed modifications for his own disabilities.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18And because the grant had been in in Eunice's name,
0:14:18 > 0:14:23after she passed away, the local authority cancelled the application,
0:14:23 > 0:14:28throwing Jack's hopes of remaining independent in his own home into jeopardy.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32He wanted to remain in the home that he'd been in for 40 years.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35So we re-approached the occupational therapist
0:14:35 > 0:14:39and, basically, had him reassessed in his own right for the bathroom.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43And then we helped him re-apply for the disabled facilities grant in his own name.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47It was time for them to get things moving for Jack.
0:14:49 > 0:14:55They helped me get the attendance allowance myself.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59They went through the application paperwork
0:14:59 > 0:15:03and they granted it to me. And it did help a lot
0:15:03 > 0:15:08cos it was just over £40 a week.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13Which I've found very, very, very helpful.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Jack had worked solidly from the age of 14.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20And he was grateful for the grant Southend Council approved in his name.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23The work on the level access shower
0:15:23 > 0:15:24was also now completed.
0:15:24 > 0:15:29By staying in his home that he's been in for 40 years, it makes him healthy and happy.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32He can get on with his day-to-day life without
0:15:32 > 0:15:35needing carers and be independent.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39I wouldn't be getting the allowances I'm getting now without their help,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41without their guidance, without them telling me.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Very useful.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46And I thank them for their help as regards that.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Without help, it's a pretty safe bet that Jack would've
0:15:51 > 0:15:54been moved to a care home. As it is, he's in his own home,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57the one he shared with Eunice for all those years.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01And he's surrounded by the kind of memories you just can't replace.
0:16:07 > 0:16:13Let's leave behind those in genuine need to find the ones who are only out to help themselves.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15This case started when John Coffey
0:16:15 > 0:16:18appeared in court for trading standards offences
0:16:18 > 0:16:21after work was carried out by his paving business.
0:16:22 > 0:16:27Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs got wind of the case but found no records of the company.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30No records meant paying no tax.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35And after further digging, the HMRC and the police who now led the case,
0:16:35 > 0:16:39discovered that the Coffeys were living a life of luxury
0:16:39 > 0:16:42in expensive properties, and driving flash cars.
0:16:42 > 0:16:48The people at the HMRC believed they were hiding their earnings so as not to pay tax.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54You have one company that is up front and legitimate,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56that doesn't seem to be making a great deal of money,
0:16:56 > 0:17:00and then you have this other huge behemoth
0:17:00 > 0:17:04- of a company which is taking in millions.- Yes.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07But you've got to link that back to John Coffey.
0:17:07 > 0:17:12They were using different names, using various surnames, on different things they were doing.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15They thought they were being clever but we know what we're looking for
0:17:15 > 0:17:18with these things and we could link them together.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22The investigators carried out surveillance on the Coffey family
0:17:22 > 0:17:26and the true extent of their dealings came to light.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30The Coffey family had a number of properties that they owned.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35It was clear that they were renting out some of these properties
0:17:35 > 0:17:41and getting income from that which should have been declared as income for tax purposes.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43Again, it never was.
0:17:44 > 0:17:50So not only was there undeclared income, but also a heap of property.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53They included two farms in Cardiff.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Two houses in Cardiff.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Kennels in Middlesex and plots at a caravan park.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Not a bad portfolio.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02One of the farm buildings
0:18:02 > 0:18:07in South Wales was initially going to be purchased by Michael Coffey.
0:18:07 > 0:18:13But, at the time, he was only 16. So he was not legally able to purchase the property.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17So the property was eventually purchased by his father John Coffey.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22He then sold the property to John Delaney.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27John Delaney. Who is that? And what has he got to do with all of this?
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Our investigations led us to believe,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34after a short period of time, that John Delaney was John Coffey.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39We had to do a lot of work to prove that and, eventually, we discovered
0:18:39 > 0:18:43a photocopy of a driving licence in a conveyancing file
0:18:43 > 0:18:46for one of the properties that they had purchased
0:18:46 > 0:18:49in the name of John Delaney and that driving licence
0:18:49 > 0:18:51had a photograph of John Coffey in it.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53That was the clincher for us
0:18:53 > 0:18:57that John Delaney and John Coffey were the same person.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Buying and selling houses to yourself.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Not only was John Coffey running a dodgy paving company,
0:19:03 > 0:19:07he was using false identities to buy properties he already owned.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11Why would anyone do that unless they wanted to hide the money and the property
0:19:11 > 0:19:13from the authorities?
0:19:13 > 0:19:16The bulk of their property portfolio estimated to be
0:19:16 > 0:19:18in the region of £3 million.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20was purchased by cash and banker's drafts
0:19:20 > 0:19:22and none are subject to mortgage.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25We're talking a large amount of money.
0:19:26 > 0:19:32The kennels was purchased by John Coffey for £500,000.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36At the time, he was on site with the estate agent.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40He intimated to the estate agent that he had the money in the car
0:19:40 > 0:19:44and he could pay for the building there and then.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49The estate agent involved actually declined that offer, sensibly.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53And John Coffey subsequently purchased the property
0:19:53 > 0:19:57with funds from bank accounts in his own name,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01in the name of his wife, in the name of Michael Coffey,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04in the name of John Delaney and in the name of Helen Coffey.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12Let's get this straight. John Coffey was buying and selling properties
0:20:12 > 0:20:15from and to himself under different aliases
0:20:15 > 0:20:18to hide his assets from the authorities.
0:20:18 > 0:20:23The problem the investigating team has got is to prove that this is happening.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28It took a lot of work. We had to obtain a series of court orders
0:20:28 > 0:20:32on solicitors' firms to obtain conveyancing files
0:20:32 > 0:20:34so we could get to the bottom of who owned what,
0:20:34 > 0:20:39how the properties were bought, to see what identification was used,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42what telephones were used.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45They used a different set of solicitors
0:20:45 > 0:20:48for practically every transaction they undertook.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52So we were visiting quite a lot of solicitors' firms
0:20:52 > 0:20:54to obtain that information.
0:20:54 > 0:21:00It quickly became clear why owning properties under different names was crucial to the scam.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Helen Coffey was living in a caravan
0:21:03 > 0:21:08on the site in Naas Lane, Gloucestershire.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13And she was claiming housing benefit from Stroud District Council
0:21:13 > 0:21:16in relation to the use of that caravan.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20That caravan was owned by a Mr John Delaney,
0:21:20 > 0:21:25whom we subsequently discovered was her father. He owned the caravan.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29It seemed like the whole family was in on the act,
0:21:29 > 0:21:35with wife Brigid claiming benefits for a house she was renting in Cardiff from John Delaney.
0:21:35 > 0:21:41John Delaney, who turned out to be her own husband, John Coffey.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46Not only were the Coffeys claiming housing benefit on their extensive luxury property portfolio,
0:21:46 > 0:21:51they were using these properties to make even more profit in even more underhand ways.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55The property in West Drayton in Middlesex
0:21:55 > 0:22:00had been turned into accommodation units
0:22:00 > 0:22:03effectively for construction workers
0:22:03 > 0:22:08who were working at the time on Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport.
0:22:08 > 0:22:13Obviously, there was a lot of workers looking for accommodation around that area at the time,
0:22:13 > 0:22:18which the Coffey family exploited.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21The more the investigators dug,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24the more devious business schemes they found.
0:22:25 > 0:22:31In addition to the property portfolio of five properties and the 29 bank accounts,
0:22:31 > 0:22:35we were able to ascertain that certainly Michael
0:22:35 > 0:22:39had been involved in some form of a car business.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42We understand that a number of high-performance vehicles,
0:22:42 > 0:22:47Mitsubishis, Mercedes and Audis, were purchased and sold
0:22:47 > 0:22:49as part of a sideline business by Michael.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52As part of the whole investigation,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55it was clear that all of the businesses
0:22:55 > 0:22:59that the family were involved in, whether it was rented accommodation,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03whether it landscaping and paving, or indeed motor trade,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07none of these sources of income were declared by any of the family members.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11The investigation had spread nationwide.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14And enough was gathered to arrest the conniving Coffey clan
0:23:14 > 0:23:19and to conduct a search and seize on their extensive property empire
0:23:19 > 0:23:21to find the last parts of the jigsaw
0:23:21 > 0:23:25and to put the final nail in the Coffey coffin once and for all.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29The search was led by Gloucestershire police.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32DWP and HM Revenue and Customs
0:23:32 > 0:23:37were present and supporting those search warrants.
0:23:37 > 0:23:43In total there were approximately 220 officers from five police forces
0:23:43 > 0:23:47across South Wales, Gloucestershire and the Metropolitan Police,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50together with the DWP and Revenue and Customs involved.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54During the execution of the warrants on the properties,
0:23:54 > 0:23:57we found large amounts of evidence.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01A lot of evidence of wealth, jewellery,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04porcelain, vehicles,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07mobile homes, or a mobile home.
0:24:07 > 0:24:12We identified further bank accounts that, up until that time, we were not aware of.
0:24:12 > 0:24:19And that was an extra £50,000 found in those bank accounts.
0:24:19 > 0:24:25The job was done. Anything we got at that stage was a bit of a bonus
0:24:25 > 0:24:30because we already had quite a substantial, or would have had a substantial case against them.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34While the properties were searched, the Coffeys were taken in for questioning
0:24:34 > 0:24:39but were sticking to their story that the family paving business was legit.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41During interviews with the police,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45family members put propositions forward that the money was from family, from friends,
0:24:45 > 0:24:49was being held by other unnamed individuals.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54But at no stage during that part of the enquiry did any of them accept
0:24:54 > 0:24:58that the vast majority of the money came from their businesses
0:24:58 > 0:25:01and thus should have been taxed.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Faced with a mountain of evidence against them, finally
0:25:05 > 0:25:09the size of the Coffey fortune emerged.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14John and Michael Coffey both admitted that they were making money from doing driveways.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17When we challenged them on the amount of money they were making,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21they said they were also making money from buying and selling cars,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24buying and selling horses within their community
0:25:24 > 0:25:26and general wheeling and dealing.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Five members of the Coffey family appeared in court
0:25:30 > 0:25:34and pleaded guilty to a total of 20 charges out of 38.
0:25:34 > 0:25:41Including tax evasion, using false identities and making false statements to obtain benefits.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48At the time of sentencing, the judge commented on their conduct.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51He said that the members of the Coffey family in front of him
0:25:51 > 0:25:56were not good examples for their community
0:25:56 > 0:26:00and brought the reputation of their community down.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03And that everybody has to pay taxes.
0:26:03 > 0:26:10Nobody likes paying taxes but that's how services are provided in our society.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14John Coffey was sentenced to two years nine months in prison
0:26:14 > 0:26:18and told to repay the full amount of £450,000 in six months
0:26:18 > 0:26:21or face another four years in jail.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24His wife Brigid and daughters Helen and Mary
0:26:24 > 0:26:27all received a 12 months' suspended sentence.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32As did son Michael who, on top of this, was told to pay back £50,000.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38And John and Michael were ordered to pay £9,500 each in court costs.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42- That's a big sentence. - Yeah.- Happy with that?
0:26:42 > 0:26:47The man got what he deserved and we're going to get the money we should have had as well.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50- So it ends up back in the system doing good.- Exactly.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54They thought the family business would pave the way to a life of luxury.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56They got that one wrong.