More notable work from Frances Murray in the criminal and financial crime team

Frances Murray is highly experienced in cases connected with the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, where notable instructions include representing a property management company and company directors in the fine spirits industry. In addition, Frances has successfully defended clients such as the son of a premier of an overseas country and a national funeral plan provider in investigations and account freezing order proceedings brought by law enforcement agencies. Frances has also been instructed to provide regulatory advice in the areas of money laundering, terrorism, anti-bribery and corruption and sanctions.

• Instructed to provide advice to a property management company in respect of a regulatory matter connected with the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 regarding a tenant of a property owned by a high profile, ultra-high-net-worth individual

• Instructed by three company directors selling cask whisky, advising on a regulatory matter regarding the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and initial freezing of the client’s business bank account

• Defended a national funeral plan provider in account freezing order proceedings, resulting in the successful release of frozen funds

• Represented a cryptocurrency exchange being investigated by international authorities for alleged financial crime offences

• NCA investigation: defended the son of a premier of an overseas country in account freezing order proceedings linked to allegations of bribery and corruption, resulting in the successful release of the frozen funds

• Instructed on behalf of an Australian fund focused on investment in the mining sector to provide anti-money laundering/terrorism advice

• Instructed in relation to a nine-handed conspiracy to defraud being investigated by the Metropolitan Police in relation to a sports algorithm boiler room scam with associated HMRC enquiries

• Instructed on behalf of a £2 billion turnover national petroleum company to conduct an internal investigation in relation to fraud committed by their finance director

• Instructed by a director of a hotel and resorts group involved in brokering overseas property development deals in Asia, being investigated under section 447 of the Companies Act 1985 by a City law firm on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

• Instructed in a further section 447 Companies Act investigation, relating to a consortium of companies acting as agent and brokering the purchase of hotels in the UK with international links to Asia

• Instructed on behalf of the former chief executive officer of an overseas superyacht business investigated for financial crime offences committed in Europe

• Instructed by a professional working in financial services who was resident in Central America and is the subject of a worldwide freezing order and a police investigation relating to fraud in excess of £1 million from a North American-based entertainment company

• (Operation Maplin) Instructed on behalf of director/corporate entity in relation to a high value conspiracy to cheat the public revenue (and associated fraud/tax offences) in relation to red diesel investigated by HMRC (associated contested account freezing order and production order proceedings)

• Instructed on behalf of a high value art dealer to provide NFT advice (in the UK and US) in relation to Banksy art works

• Represented a professional in the property sector being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office for their involvement in an international, multimillion pound affordable property investment scheme

• Represented senior figures of an international pharmaceutical company interview under section 2 by the Serious Fraud Office

• Represented individuals in the UK and overseas interviewed under section 2 by the Serious Fraud Office in relation to a multimillion pound pension investment scheme fraud

• Operation Dover: Inner London Crown Court, acquittal following prosecution for high-value credit card fraud

• International private prosecution: Southwark Crown Court, complex trade marks and fraud case

• Operation Foremark: Million pound insurance and mortgage fraud representing an orthopaedic surgeon

• Operation Wintergreen: Southwark Crown Court, multimillion pound carbon credit fraud

• Operation Tidworth: Southwark Crown Court, multimillion pound international boiler room fraud prosecuted by the Financial Conduct Authority

• Operation Greenking: £44 million payroll service fraud prosecuted by HM Revenue and Customs together with Essex and Kent Police at Wood Green Crown Court

• Cash seizure proceedings: secured the release of over £220,000 from the Serious Organised Crime Command of the Metropolitan Police following a detailed application and forensic analysis of company accounts

• Operation Spinnaker: multi-million pound publishing fraud prosecuted by Trading Standards at Nottingham Crown Court

• Operation Spallation: a multi-handed HM Revenue and Customs corruption case prosecuted at the Central Criminal Court

• Operation Savate: multimillion pound VAT fraud involving an abuse of the construction industry scheme

• Represented the former owner of London Welsh Rugby Club in relation to allegations of fraud

• Complex advance fee fraud involving the sale of oil stocks/jet fuel in Saudi Arabia

• Successfully achieved the release of a substantial amount of cash seized by the authorities at a UK port

• Operation Tulipbox: £38 million carbon credit MTIC fraud

• Operation Vex: £85 million mobile phone MTIC fraud

• Operation Blackout: international importation of counterfeit goods

• Operation Thebe: international importation of adulterants (Benzocaine)

• Operation Ghast: Southwark Crown Court, £21 million mobile telephone MTIC fraud

• Operation Hayrick: multimillion pound confiscation proceedings deriving from an MTIC fraud

• Operation Russo: prosecution at Harrow Crown Court of a multimillion pound mortgage fraud involving Britain’s biggest ever con-woman

Proceeds of Crime/Confiscation Cases and Cash Seizure & Forfeiture

• Undertook work on proceeds of crime/confiscation cases, restraint orders, civil asset recovery and cash seizure
• Proceedings due to knowledge and experience of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
• Instructed in relation to cash seizure and cash forfeiture cases, servicing the national client base in relation to such cases
• Regularly gave instructions to formulate and present applications under sections 297 and 301 of POCA 2002 and has experience of conducting numerous such cases at Courts all over England and Wales