Gambling addict jailed after stealing $2.3M from recruitment firm employer

A gambling addict who stole £1.7 million ($2.3 million) from his company has been sentenced to four years in prison after using the money on luxury holidays, drugs, and gifts for his partner.

Neil Harris, from Poole in Dorset, was working at a high-end recruitment firm when he started funneling company money into his own bank account over the course of six years.

'Gambling addict' financial controller who stole £1.7m is jailed in the UK https://t.co/h1EEqTH1FI via @MailOnline

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Gambling addict says life ‘spiralled out of control’

He made 123 unauthorized payments while his life, in his own words, “spiralled out of control,” all in an effort to win back the massive amounts he was losing on sports betting.

Harris also got caught up in what was described as a “high-end” lifestyle during his time as a financial controller at Caspian One. Part of his job was to make payments to suppliers with active contracts.

But even after those contracts ran out, he kept the payments going, only now, the money was going straight to him, and around £1.5 million ($2.1 million) all ended up on his Betfair account.

“You abused your position of responsibility and it was a sophisticated fraud which required significant planning and carried out over a sustained number of years.” – Stefan Ramel, Recorder

He spent £100,000 ($138,000) of the money he stole from the Bournemouth-based company on luxury holidays and gifts for his partner. He also developed a drug addiction and used some of the stolen cash to feed that habit.

His scheme eventually came to light thanks to a junior employee who was covering the accounts while he was on holiday. She spotted a payment for £5,544 ($7,632) that didn’t make sense and decided to look into it further. That’s when she uncovered what Harris had been doing.

When he got back to work and was confronted, he admitted to stealing the money but tried to claim it was to pay off someone who was threatening his son.

However, once he handed over his bank statements from the previous 12 months, it was clear he had stolen £192,000 ($264,300) just in that time. He was fired for gross misconduct in August 2018.

Investigation and sentencing

The investigation was then expanded to cover the full span of his employment, from 2012 to 2018. By the end of it, the total amount he had taken was £1,703,465 ($2,344,740).

The court heard that Harris wasn’t actually interviewed by police until November 2024. He was later charged with fraud by abuse of position and admitted to the offence at Poole magistrates’ court in March.

Because of the seriousness of the case, it was sent to Bournemouth Crown Court for sentencing.

The court heard that Harris, who had no prior convictions, is still £50,000 in debt and has been attending Gamblers Anonymous to address his addiction.

Rose Burns, who was defending Harris, told the court he was of previous good character and said he was “devastated” by his actions.

She explained that his gambling addiction had completely taken over and described how he became “easy meat” for betting companies as he “made whacking great losses.”

However, recorder Stefan Ramel sentenced him to four years in prison.

The judge said: “The impact of your fraud has had a profound effect on your colleagues who felt shocked and betrayed.

“You abused your position of responsibility and it was a sophisticated fraud which required significant planning and carried out over a sustained number of years.”

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