Lorraine Gallen is recognised as an expert in fraud and business crime together with being an approved specialist fraud supervisor under the remit of the LAA’s Very High Cost cases.
Throughout her career, she has handled a wide range of complicated, high value fraud cases. Her experience includes defending MTIC carousel fraud for which her skills were noted within the Legal 500, a multi-million pound conservation related tax fraud, mortgage fraud, EU/Welsh Government grant application fraud, charitable trust fraud, environmental fraud, fraud by abuse of position/misrepresentation, excise duty fraud as well as offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Her wealth of expertise also extends to defending in complex drugs conspiracies and importations as well as confiscation proceedings.
She has an impressive track record and her proficiency and approach in these cases have seen her help set legal precedents and secure high profile acquittals.
She possesses a steely determination and dogged approach in the representation of individuals. She is renowned for her thorough preparation of cases. She commands a mastery of the detail in cases with voluminous quantities of evidence and is adept at distilling the salient issues. She is known for leaving no stone unturned and is tenacious in unearthing material which can ultimately bring a halt to the prosecution’s case.
She has been involved in cases brought about by numerous prosecution authorities including: Crown Prosecution Service, HM Revenue and Customs, Department for Business Innovation and Skills, Trading Standards, Environment Agency, Health and Safety Executive, Serious Fraud Office.
- Notable Cases
- R v G – represented the lead defendant in a multi handed mortgage fraud in which multiple properties were bought then re-mortgaged in unlawful ‘back to back’ sales. Subsequently, represented the defendant in confiscation proceedings in which the benefit was assessed as being in excess of £1.2m which after successful challenge to a myriad of assertions by the prosecution, the benefit and available amount was assessed as being approx. £61,800.
- R v D – representing the lead defendant in what was a 10 year investigation which led to a substantial prosecution of defendants across 2 significant drug conspiracy operations. This was a ‘constructed case’ arising from a complex and historical investigation concerning the domestic and international trafficking of drugs and money laundering.
- It resulted in almost two years of arguments together with disclosure applications which culminated in an application being granted for Special Counsel by the Attorney General. In 2019, the prosecution offered no evidence on all counts. It is understood that this was the largest ever drugs conspiracy prosecuted.
- R v P – representing the lead defendant in what is believed to have been the biggest mortgage fraud case in the UK in the sum of £250m
- R v CS – a fraud in relation to a claim for £4.7m worth of European Union and Welsh Government grants to develop a fish feed alternative(ragworms). It is believed that this is the largest sum defrauded from the Welsh Government.
- Following guilty pleas by co-defendants, the case of CS was not pursued further.
- R v S – represented an eminent academic in the field of conservation. He was alleged to have been involved in a sideways tax relief fraud allegation in a complex carbon credit investment scheme. He was acquitted of the principal count of cheating the public revenue.
- R v B – representing a solicitor who was alleged to have failed to comply with money laundering regulations and failing to disclose information in the Regulated Sector. The investigation into the defendant’s arrangement of property transactions for a number of individuals who were part of an organised Crime Group who themselves were convicted of mortgage fraud, tax evasion and drugs offences.
- R v B – Represented the lead defendant in a £1.8m conspiracy to defraud the DWP. He was charged with masquerading as a knighted ‘Sir’ and a disabled person for over 20 years and who set up a business designed to employ disabled people in order to take advantage of the DWP’s ‘access to work scheme’. It is understood that this was the largest ever DWP fraud.
- R v C – represented the lead telephone salesman alleged to have conspired to fraudulently sell advertising space in a fictitious magazine. The trial ran in excess of 8 weeks and ultimately the defendant pleaded to approx. £1,500 of misrepresentations as opposed to a sum in excess of £1m. the defendant received a community order.
- R v AS – represented a company director in what was a multi million pound MTIC carousel fraud conspiracy involving textiles
- R v G – allegations of abuse of process by the SFO in relation to a breach of promise in tandem with confiscation proceedings in a £250m investment fraud arising from the Imperial Consolidated prosecution.
- London City Bond – Abuse of Process – represented 5 individuals as part of a wider application by others affected. The case related to frauds involving the evasion of duty on alcohol from a tax free warehouse, namely London City Bond. The prosecution of these cases, their practices and deficiencies led to a major government inquiry relating to disclosure, associated investigation techniques and case management by Mr Justice Butterfield following the defence’s successful application.
