-Caveat Lector- Euphorian spotted this on the Guardian Unlimited site and thought you should see it.
To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk Credit card swindler jailed for five years Friday December 13 2002 The Guardian A member of one of Israel's most distinguished families was jailed for five years yesterday for planning and executing an international fraud. Dan Mazar, 33, whose uncle, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, was Israel's second president, used 300 credit cards in an array of bogus identities to pay for holidays, hotel rooms and shopping sprees. Martin Hicks, prosecuting, told Southwark crown court, in south London: "He was involved both as prime mover and principal beneficiary. It was a meticulously planned, carefully executed conspiracy to defraud credit card companies on an unprecedented scale." Mazar, of Hendon, north London, admitted one count of conspiracy to defraud, reflecting £286,903, the UK element of the scam. His two-year 10-month crime spree - interrupted by a seven-month prison sentence for the Israeli end of the scam - ended when his "luck ran out" in a central London branch of Superdrug in April. As a taxi paid for with one of the many credit cards waited outside, Mazar tried to embark on yet another shopping expedition. But staff became suspicious and called the police, who arrested him as he tried to escape in the cab. Police found 15 credit cards in different names, and an extensive "aide memoir" with identification details. Mr Hicks said Mazar, the only one to be arrested in connection with the scam in this country, used cards obtained from various American issuers, including American Express, either based on a variation of his own name or using other people's identities. He had a string of credit card telephone numbers to check that the cards issued in the names of others had not been cancelled, and to make sure he did not exceed credit limits. Judge Stephen Robbins said: "This type of offending is rife in this country and it causes massive losses. The annual loss to the banks in Britain is said to be £700m each year." As well as ordering him to pay £40,000 of prosecution costs, the judge made a £286,902 confiscation order. Jonathan Goldberg QC, defending, said Mazar was driven to crime after getting into debt with a loan shark. Press Association Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
