A fraudster who left his friends homeless in a multi-million pound scam to fund his betting habit has been jailed for six years.
Kenny Sanders set up an IT company which he used to con people into investing large sums of money.
Over the course of six years, from 2012 to 2018, Sanders swindled more than 30 people by promising them returns in the range of three to 20 per cent every 40 to 60 days.
However, this money never appeared.
But behind the supposedly successful businessman was a gambling addict who used the money invested in his company to gamble online for up to 18 hours every day.
His victims, which were mostly friends and family, invested sums of up to £350,000, with some remortgaging their homes to raise the funds.
One victim, a disabled woman, invested 75 per cent of her life savings.
Another, one of his football teammates, lost his home.
A third, a mother, said she was left unable to to buy school shoes for her children.
During this time, the father-of-two gambled a staggering £10million with online betting companies on sports fixtures.
Sanders was sentenced to six years in jail at Canterbury Crown Court (pictured)
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On August 7, 2018, Sanders, from Ash, near Canterbury, admitted his fraud to Kent Police.
At the same time he also sent a text message to his victims, all of whom were unaware of his fraud, to explain what he had done.
The 38-year-old was later charged with 11 counts of fraud by false representation and admitted to the offences at an earlier hearing.
On September 25, he was jailed for six years at Canterbury Crown Court.
FRAUDSTERS BROUGHT TO JUSTICE – READ MORE:
Sanders phoned Kent Police to hand himself in
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Detective Constable Mark Huttley, the investigating officer on the case, said: “Sanders gained the trust of family and friends, making them think he was nothing other than a respectable businessman but in fact he was conning them in order to fund his own gambling habit.
“Victims have lost homes and businesses due to his lies and it is right that he now faces the consequences of his actions.”
In mitigation, Danny Moore KC asked the court to take into account Sanders’ guilty pleas, his “tireless” work in the community, and the fact that his gambling disorder was a mental health condition recognised in law.
He said: “He lives with knowledge of the harm he has caused to the victims and, indeed, to his own family.
“He carries the burden with him, but he accepts that burden is nothing in comparison to the burden felt by the victims. Their burden, he accepts, is real and his remorse is also real.”
During the sentencing, Judge Simon James said: “In addition to gambling, it is also apparent that you were enjoying a lavish lifestyle involving expensive cars, watches, designer clothes and holidays.
“By the time you finally realised that the game was up and confessed your fraud to the police, your victims were left with substantial losses.”
