On Tuesday, October 17th, Victor Obi pleaded guilty to three offenses under the Fraud Act 2006 at Bexley Magistrates’ Court. The court directed Mr. Obi to pay fines amounting to £1538, contribute £1300 towards prosecution costs, and provide £3000 in compensation, totaling £5838.
Mr. Obi’s guilty pleas were in connection with his use of two fraudulent Security Industry Authority (SIA) licenses while working as a door supervisor at various venues in the greater London area between June 2021 and October 2021. The case was brought forth by the SIA as part of their ongoing investigations into the misuse of fraudulent SIA licenses in London. Mr. Obi was discovered to be using two counterfeit licenses bearing his own photograph but the names of legitimate SIA license holders. During his interview at the SIA’s head office, Mr. Obi chose not to respond to the questions posed to him regarding the evidence presented.
He was charged with two offenses under section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006 and one offense under section 6 of the Fraud Act 2006. Mr. Obi was sentenced for the Section 6 offense and was directed to make payments totaling £5838 at a rate of £500 per month, with the initial payment due within 28 days. Subsequent monthly payments of £500 were mandated until the entire sum was settled, with the requirement to complete the payment within 12 months.
Over the prosecution, SIA Criminal Investigation Manager, Nicola Bolton, said, “Mr Obi chose to work as an unlicensed security operative across venues in London putting patrons at risk by his actions. The licensing regime is there to protect the public so that only trained and suitable people can be licensed. He decided to use fraudulent licences which amounts to the possession of articles for use in frauds under section 6 of the Fraud Act 2006. Along with paying the fine, Mr Obi now has a criminal record.
We are continuing to combat the use of fraudulent SIA licences and remind industry to conduct thorough due diligence checks on licences of those operatives they deploy. The security features embedded in an SIA licence will help aid employers and they should also request secondary identification documents from the licence holder.”