A Sussex man is among five men facing court today (Thursday 16 January) charged with a £10.75 million football club fraud.
David Cardoza, 54, of Lewes Road, Laughton, was the chairman of Northampton Town Football Club from 2003 to 2015.
He is due to appear at Northampton Magistrates’ Court alongside his father Anthony Cardoza, 80, of Wisbech, in Cambridgeshire.
The others due in the dock are property developer Howard Grossman, 63, from Bushey, in Hertfordshire, his son, Marcus Grossman, 37, from Barnet, north London, and Simon Patnick, 54, of Stanmore, north London.
They face fraud and money laundering charges over the alleged theft of £10.75 million borrowed from Northampton Borough Council to build a new stand at the football club’s Sixfields Stadium and a hotel on neighbouring land.
The charges follow a nine-year investigation costing Northamptonshire Police and the council more than £3 million.
The police force said yesterday: “The former chairman of Northampton Town FC is due to appear in court tomorrow (Thursday 16 January) on charges relating to a lengthy investigation into an alleged £10.75 million theft and fraud case.
“David Cardoza, 54, of Eastbourne, is one of five men with former links to redevelopment of the League One club, who are due to appear at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on several counts of fraud and money laundering.
“All five are charged with conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation between September 2013 and April 2015.
“These relate to false representations, allegedly made to Northampton Borough Council, that money loaned by the authority to the football club would be used solely for developing Sixfields Stadium and an adjoining hotel, which were ‘untrue or misleading’.
“The Cardozas are also both charged with fraud by abuse of position, contrary to section 1 of the Fraud Act, which relates to a sum of £8.75 million being paid from the football club to 1st Land Limited, a company owned by Howard Grossman.
“David Cardoza is further charged with transferring criminal property, namely £166,000 in a credit balance via a bank transfer from the bank account of Northampton Town Football Club Limited, knowing or suspecting it to constitute or to represent, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the benefit from criminal conduct.
“In addition to fraud, Howard Grossman faces three charges of transferring criminal property, specifically amounts of £650,000 from the bank account of his company County Homes (Herts) Ltd to his son and fellow director, Hayden Grossman, as well as transferring £10,000 from 1st Land Limited to Simon Patnick and £15,000 from 1st Land Limited to Simpa Investments Limited, a company owned by Simon Patnick.
“Mr Grossman and his son Marcus are further charged with transferring criminal property, namely £20,000, from Marcus Grossman’s account to Simon Patnick, knowing or suspecting it to constitute or to represent, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the benefit from criminal conduct.
“As well as fraud, Patnick is accused of acquiring criminal property contrary to the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, namely £61,800 in credit balances via bank transfers from or on behalf of Howard Grossman and Marcus Grossman knowing or suspecting it to constitute or to represent, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the benefit from criminal conduct.
“Howard Grossman faces the same allegation, relating to a sum of £10,000 transferred to Margro Properties Ltd, a company run by Marcus Grossman.
“Thursday’s hearing will be the first time that anyone has been brought before the court directly in relation to Op Tuckhill, Northamptonshire Police’s investigation into the disappearance, discovered in late 2015, of £10.75 million loaned by the council to the club in order to develop a new stand and a hotel.
“The alleged theft from Northampton Borough Council is only one element of a much wider investigation which has, over the past nine or more years, seen almost 1,000 witness statements taken and 4,719 exhibits logged by the specialist team set up in the wake of the initial police raids on the football stadium in November 2015.”
