Ex agente de policía acusado de defraudar a inversores en un fallido sindicato de carreras y apuestas

Michael Stanley, a former sergeant for Kent Police who later founded Layezy Racing, has been charged with five counts of fraud. The charges relate to alleged misuse of clients’ money between 2013 and 2019. Initially established as a hobby with support from family and friends in 2010, Layezy Racing expanded to 6,000 members by 2019, offering shares in racehorses and betting advice.

The company collapsed in early 2019 amid allegations around its management, ultimately filing for bankruptcy with debts of £22 million. Subsequent investigations revealed that creditors were owed £158.7m, with allegations that Stanley had operated a Ponzi scheme, using funds from new subscribers to pay out existing members. Kent Police announced the charges, which include dishonestly making false representations, knowingly running a business for fraudulent purposes under the Fraud Act, and knowingly running a business for fraudulent purposes under the Companies Act.

Stanley was arrested in August 2019 and has now been charged after a complex investigation by detectives from the Kent and Essex serious crime directorate.