Sky Betting & Gaming IT Executive Jailed for Fraud

Matt Richmond, ex-head of enterprise IT of Sky Betting & Gaming has been jailed for swindling the company out of over £200,000. Richmond, who had joined the company in July 2015, pleaded guilty of fraud and abuse of position and was sentenced to two years of imprisonment in Leeds Crown Court.

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, 44-year-old Richmond ordered 113 Apple MacBooks that were worth £220,000 via Sky Betting & Gaming between January and December 2018. He then sold the devices and kept the profit.

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, 44-year-old Richmond ordered 113 Apple MacBooks that were worth £220,000 via Sky Betting & Gaming between January and December 2018. He then sold the devices and kept the profit.

Prosecutor James Lake stated that Richmond mentioned his own house as the address for delivery and requested the suppliers via email to deal only with him. He further asked them to not enrol the computers onto the IT security portal of Sky Betting & Gaming.

This fraudulent activity came into light by his colleagues when they came to know that Richmond was ordering more equipment than what was needed. Initially denying all accusations, Richmond finally pleaded guilty and was imprisoned.

Lake also added that Richmond was running an eBay account which reflects Apple MacBook sales that were paid via PayPal. An amount of £243,000 was found to be transferred to his bank account. Mitigator Michael Collins said Richmond was suffering from mental health issues and alcohol abuse during this period of fraud and his medical records show the same.

Sentencing him to two years of prison, Judge Mushtaq Khokhar said the case involves a breach of trust and must end in a custodial sentence. It is worth noting that before joining Sky Betting & Gaming in 2015, Matt Richmond was working as a senior web developer at Relate, Bradford College and marketing and design business Bloom Agency.