Jailed fraudster-solicitor who made £1.7m to repay just £129,000

David Lyons, 74, generated the proceeds while working at Robertson & Ross in Paisley, Renfrewshire. However, prosecutors have agreed that only £129,180 of his illicit gains can currently be recovered.

The position was outlined during a brief hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh before Lord Young on Monday.

Lyons, of Kilmacolm, was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in January 2023 following proceedings at the High Court in Glasgow. He was convicted alongside fellow solicitors Alistair Blackwood, 71, and Iain Robertson, 72, as well as Mohammed Aziz, 64, and Robert Ferguson, 70.

The group used Robertson’s firm to launder large sums of criminal cash. Following a nine-week trial before Lord Richardson, all five men were convicted of fraud and multiple offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Lyons, Robertson and Aziz were also found guilty of involvement in serious organised crime.

The prosecution case focused on four fraudulent transactions carried out between May 2015 and July 2016. These included a stolen £79,340 cheque intended for a Jersey law firm; £240,000 from a fraudulent London house sale; £985,000 taken from a hacked bank account; and £181,786 generated from a bogus property sale in Essex.

In the final transaction, Robertson claimed to be acting for a seller who was said to be staying at a flat later identified as Ferguson’s address.

In each case, the proceeds were channelled through the firm’s client account and supported by false records, fake documents and counterfeit identification to give the appearance of legitimacy.

Concerns raised by the Law Society about several transactions ultimately led to a police investigation. The court heard that Robertson’s access to the client account placed him at the centre of the scheme.

Lord Young authorised the seizure of £129,180 from Lyons. Prosecutors may return to court if further assets are identified.