A HUDDERSFIELD man has been jailed for 15 months after he admitted his part in a fraud.
The scam netted building materials and cars worth more than £100,000 - but joinery worker Andre Williams got only £20 or £30.
Williams, 24, of Town Avenue, Bradley Mills, was described as a "hired hand" in the large-scale scam, which involved the use of computers to produce false documents and the setting up of bogus companies.
Williams's barrister, Diane Nixon, told Bradford Crown Court that her client was living with his partner and child in a homeless hostel at the time and was desperate for money.
"He'd been sacked and couldn't claim for 26 weeks," said Miss Nixon.
"He was desperate for money and received £20 or £30 for taking delivery of the goods."
Prosecutor Christopher Batty told Judge Roger Scott the conspiracy to defraud covered a period between September, 2001, and December, 2003, when a series of transactions were carried out.
The first set of offences related to setting up bogus companies which then set up credit accounts with builders' merchants and ordered goods from them.
One of the ficticious firms, In-Tec Joinery, was set up using Williams's hostel address while another, Plucker and Sons, gave an address in Dewhurst Road, Fartown.
When that company failed to pay for more than £2,200 worth of goods the address was found to be a derelict back-to-back house.
That part of the scam netted goods worth more than £40,000.
Williams was also involved in buying five cars from showrooms across the region, using computer-generated documents, such as electricity bills and bank statements, to arrange credit agreements in false names.
The car conspiracy involved vehicles worth more than £70,000.
At the time Williams was a banned driver and Judge Scott disqualified him for 18 months.
Former IT manager Paul Beaumont, 35, of Kings Street, Oldham, who was described by Mr Batty as one of the principals, was jailed for three years and nine months.
As well as admitting involvement in the building materials and car scams Beaumont also obtained £38,000 worth of alcohol from Coors Brewery.
He was also banned from driving for two years for dangerous driving and driving with excess alcohol.
Judge Scott
told Beaumont that his background in IT meant that whenever computers were involved in the conspiracy he was in charge.
