Simon O’Meara

Simon O’Meara is a litigation specialist with an emphasis on fraud and serious crime.

Simon’s expertise covers all allegations of fraud, including boiler room fraud, tax fraud, bribery & corruption, cartel activity, MTIC fraud, and insider dealing. He is also adept in the related areas of asset restraint, sanctions, confiscation (POCA), and cash seizure proceedings. He is also more regularly being instructed to advise on the adoption and regulation of cryptocurrency.

Simon has been instructed in cases investigated and prosecuted by authorities as varied as the City of London Police, Economic Crime Directorate, the Flying Squad, Scotland Yard, the NCA, FCA, SFO, and HMRC. He has considerable experience at every stage of the investigation/prosecution process, regularly representing clients at the police station, Magistrates’ Court, Crown Court and the Court of Appeal.

Simon’s objective is always to bring matters to a satisfactory conclusion as soon as possible, often avoiding prosecution or further action. He is extremely client-focused and an effective  stakeholder manager. He has strong relationships with a number of the country’s leading barristers and defence experts.

Simon is regularly instructed by corporates, high net worth individuals and those in the public eye. It is, of course, not just the outcome which is important to his clients but also discretion, risk analysis and reputation management. In this respect Simon is particularly astute when engaging with the media, including preventing or removing inaccurate reporting, lobbying for favourable coverage and drafting press releases.

• Notable cases

  Fraud & financial crime proceedings
  

  • R v FH (Operation Kadenza, Operation Hawser and Operation Lightdance) – Represented the lead defendant in a £100m+ ‘vishing’ fraud, at the time the largest of its kind ever to be prosecuted in the UK. “This was the largest covert proactive operation the Met has ever undertaken against cyber-enabled crime.” The Metropolitan police’s Falcon (online crime and fraud) unit.
  • R v  VR (Operation Penco) – 12 handed £multi-million fraud encompassing two separate conspiracies to defraud high net worth individuals and those seeking to reinvest their pensions by way of SIPPs to purchase VER and CER carbon credits.
  • R v AH – Currently advise on appeal against convictions for Fraud by False Representation and Operating a Collective Investment Scheme Without Authorisation relating to what the FCA describe as a £multi-million foreign exchange Ponzi fraud (AH having self-represented at trial).
  • R v ZI (Operation Zaminder) – large-scale money laundering operation against a number of Bureau De Change businesses operating throughout London.
  • R v CW (Operation Veil) – HMRC investigation into a well-known Organised Crime Group in North London believed to have evaded £millions of VAT due on the manufacture and distribution of tobacco in the UK.
  • R v PC – represented lead defendant in a multi-handed £10m+ money laundering investigation by Scotland Yard.
  • R v JW – joint prosecution by the CPS and Department for Work & Pensions of £100,000+ benefits fraud.
  • R v TM – multi-handed conspiracy to evade VAT on a £multi-million operation importing cigarettes.
  • Metropolitan Police v LO – secured the return of over £100,000 seized by Scotland Yard in civil cash seizure proceedings
  • R –v- JM – (Operation Slick) – JM charged with four counts of Conspiracy to Commit Fraud by False Representation in relation to a £28million boiler room fraud.
  • R v TW& GW – husband and wife charged with Conspiracy to Corrupt and Conspiracy to Defraud Mars plc of £millions.
  • R –v- JM – Confiscation (Operation Devout 2) The Defendant was indicted in relation to a £25 million MTEC fraud.

  Fraud & financial crimes- ongoing investigations

  • EW – ‘Operation Alpha’ – Instructed by the Director of a multinational company in relation to an investigation by the SFO into an alleged £600m Trade Finance Fraud.
  • JB – ‘Operation Cornflour’ – act for a former banker in an investigation into money laundering and wider £multi-million conspiracies to defraud hundreds of investors. Currently advise on Restraint Order and general investigatory matters.
  • AH –– act for company director in an investigation by the City of London Police and Economic Crime Directorate into the alleged fraudulent sale of VER & CER carbon credits and diamonds.
  • Directorate of Professional Standards investigation – Act for the director of a well-known security company being investigated in a wider operation concerning the alleged Corruption and Bribery of Westminster Licencing Police Officers.

  Serious crime
  

  • R v JG – multi-handed murder of a fellow prison inmate.
  • R v JC (Operation Varangi) – charged with Conspiracy to Supply Class A Drugs following the seizure of 30 kilos of cocaine and £100,000 cash following a prolonged joint investigation by the NCA and Metropolitan Police Organised Crime Partnership.
  • R v AA (Operation Loure) – act for lead defendant charged with Conspiracy to Convert Firearms, Conspiracy to Possess Firearms with Intent to Endanger Life, Possession of Firearms with Intent to Endanger Life, Possession of Ammunition, and Conspiracy to Commit GBH.
  • R v JL – represented lead defendant charged with 10 others with Conspiracy to Pervert the Course of Justice, Money Laundering and Conspiracy to Supply of Class A Drugs
  • R v CZ – indicted along with his ex-wife with Controlling Prostitution, running what the prosecution describe as ‘a chain of very successful brothels across London’.
  • R v JM – represented an investment broker in relation to historic allegations of rape made by two complainants.
  • R v CC – (Operation Gulpin) part of the team in what was a Conspiracy to Rob Graf jewellers (Bond Street) of £40 million worth of diamonds and jewellery.
  • R v MG – Acted for the lead defendant in a Conspiracy to Supply of 50 kilos of heroine.
  • AS – Essex Police Investigation (New York) Advised a senior executive of a major international bank in relation to an international historic rape investigation involving complex jurisdictional issues.
  • CS (Operation Tuleta) – Acted on behalf of a client suspected of involvement in the News International hacking scandal.
  • R v H – Acted on behalf of a client charged with the Kidnapping, Blackmail, and s.18 Wounding of a television executive.
  • R v J – Acted on behalf of a Dentist accused of sexually assaulting his dental nurse, advising on both criminal and regulatory proceedings.
  • R v R –  Acted for a client charged with the alleged Blackmail of Tamara Ecclestone.
  • R v CJ –  Advised on appeal of a Murder conviction in what was the first ever prosecution to rely on canine forensics.

• Memberships & associations

  • Member of the Young Fraud Lawyer’s Association
  • Member of the London Criminal Courts Solicitor Association