Two south London “crime bosses” have been convicted of conspiracy to make fraudulent passports that allowed “drug and firearm traffickers, murderers and fugitives to evade justice”.
Anthony Beard, 61, of Sydenham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and conspiracy to make a false instrument on 3 January 2023 prior to the trial.
Christopher Zietek, 67, who split his time between Sydenham, Ireland and Spain, was convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, money laundering and two counts of conspiracy to make a false instrument, following a trial at Reading Crown Court, on Friday (March 17, 2023).
A third man, Alan Thompson, 72, of Sutton, Surrey, (16/06/50), was found guilty of the same offences as Zietek, also at Reading Crown Court, on March 17.
Since the National Crime Agency (NCA) established the false identities offenders were using, fugitives have been caught around the world following joint work between UK police forces and international partners.
The NCA said recipients of FOGs included “Glasgow murderers Jordan Owen and Christopher Hughes, Liverpool drug trafficker Michael Moogan – who was jailed for twelve years on March 17 – Manchester fugitive David Walley, and suspected Scottish drug traffickers Barrie Gillespie, Jamie Stevenson and James White.”
Customers paid between £5,000 and £15,000 for the sought-after documents which were issued authentically but applied for using false information.
The court heard that Beard would apply for fraudulent passports by finding vulnerable people – often with alcohol or drug problems – who looked similar to their clients.
They were paid to provide their expired passports and their details were used to apply for new versions but using the photographs of clients. Other parties were also paid to counter-sign the documents.
Beard, who National Crime Agency (NCA) believe had been an expert in FOGs for twenty years, was involved in every stage of the process.
He would apply for the passports, collect application forms and plan the details provided by the applicant and counter-signatory, the NCA said.
Beard’s fingerprints were found on many of the forms and he used contact numbers for numerous ‘burner’ phones he used.
Handwriting experts established he filled out most of the application forms and a voice recognition specialist demonstrated he phoned HM Passport Office to chase up applications while pretending to be the people named on the forms.
The NCA says Beard faces further charges relating to FOGs allegedly used by “other criminals including Jamie Acourt, Christy Kinahan and convicted gunrunner Richard Burdett.”
Zietek, formerly known as Christopher McCormack, acted as an FOG broker and used his criminal connections to find clients for the crime group.
The NCA captured audio recordings in Zietek’s house featuring incriminating conversations with Beard and others about the application processes and their customers.
Officers watched meetings with identity donors or counter-signatories, analysed mobile phone and cell site data, even using undercover officers to deliver some passports.
The court was told that Zietek also began supplying false Latvian documentation to some criminals, such as Christopher Hughes who was wanted by Police Scotland.
The investigation had made it more difficult to obtain British FOGs, according to the NCA.
In December 2019, Zietek paid a woman to give Latvian documentation in-person to Hughes in Portugal.
Recordings showed Zietek advising the woman how to avoid detection at the airport and what to say if apprehended.
The Latvian passport was wrapped up and put in a box for a Garmin Edge sat nav to make it look like a Christmas present.
After the woman checked her bag in, NCA officers covertly searched it before the flight left the UK.
The court heard that DNA matching Zietek’s was found on the passport and the woman gave Hughes the passport at a Portuguese hotel before returning to the UK an hour later.
Zietek and Beard were arrested during coordinated NCA raids in October 2021.
The NCA says co-convicted Thompson chauffeured Zietek to criminal meetings, helped broker passport and would meet Beard when Zietek was abroad.
An FOG passport and several photographs of FOG customers were located at his home.
All three will be sentenced at Reading Crown Court at a later date.
Four more defendants were tried alongside Zietek and Thompson but were acquitted by the jury.
NCA Deputy Director Craig Turner said: “This organised crime group supplied fraudulent passports that enabled some of the UK’s most serious and dangerous criminals to operate internationally under false identities and pose a sustained threat to the public.
“The investigation demonstrates the NCA’s unique role in tackling the most serious and complex crime threats facing the UK. We have identified a chronic, under the radar conspiracy that enabled drug and firearm traffickers, murderers and fugitives to evade justice, and we have worked across borders to dismantle it and bring the masterminds to account.
“The NCA continues to protect the UK from the serious and organised criminals who present a threat to our security, people and economy.”
Giorgina Venturella, a specialist prosecutor for the CPS, said: “The service provided by the defendants in this organised crime group enabled serious criminals, including drug and firearm traffickers and murderers, to go on the run as fugitives to evade detection and conduct criminal business internationally under false identities.
“Following collaboration with the NCA, the CPS was able to build a strong case resulting in their conviction, disrupting a major organised crime network and helping to dismantle their illegal operation.”