A fraudster who fled the UK before being sentenced for his role in a €2 million money laundering scheme has been jailed, 15 years after the offending took place.

Jack Mayer, 56, of no fixed abode, appeared before the Old Bailey last week (22^nd September) after being extradited from Italy and was ordered to serve the six-year prison sentence imposed following his conviction in 2013.

Detective Inspector Kate Duff, from the Fraud Operations team at the City of London Police, said: “Jack Mayer spent more than a decade attempting to avoid justice after fleeing the UK following his conviction.

“He used forged financial documents to help facilitate the movement of more than £1.7 million in criminal funds through multiple accounts and jurisdictions.

“Fifteen years on from the original offending, he has finally been brought back before the courts. This sends a clear message that if you carry out criminal activity, we will find you and bring you to justice.

“Mayer’s case demonstrates that offenders cannot evade accountability simply by crossing borders and highlights the strength of the partnerships that exist to pursue those involved in cyber crime and fraud, wherever they are in the world.

The City of London Police investigation began in 2011 after suspicious banking activity uncovered a scheme involving more than £1.7 million, the sterling equivalent of €2 million, obtained through a payment diversion fraud targeting a company bank account in Switzerland.

Investigators found that Mayer had used forged documents, including falsified bank statements and payslips, to open business bank accounts that were later used to receive the stolen funds. Digital forensic examinations revealed that genuine bank statements had been altered to falsely show salary payments and bank balances worth millions of dollars before being submitted to a bank as part of the account opening process.

Within days of receiving the money, Mayer transferred substantial sums through a network of UK and overseas accounts. Further attempts to move hundreds of thousands of pounds were prevented after banks identified suspicious activity.

Officers uncovered altered passports, forged documents, manipulated financial records and evidence of multiple false identities linked to the investigation. Digital examinations also revealed how documents had been altered and repurposed to support the scheme. Investigators later recovered £55,000 in cash from a safety deposit box linked to the case.

Mayer was bailed to attend his trial at the Central Criminal Court in 2013 in connection with the money laundering operation. However, he fled the UK days before the trial started and was convicted in his absence. He was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment.

After leaving Britain, Mayer travelled to France and later the Caribbean. In 2014, he was arrested in the Dominican Republic, extradited and convicted in a US court of further fraud offences that involved a lottery scam targeting elderly victims, in which victims were falsely told they had won substantial prizes and were persuaded to send money to cover fees and taxes where he was sentenced to 15-30 years. Following an unexpected early release in 2025, he returned to Europe.

In June 2026, Mayer was arrested in Milan and extradited to the UK, where he has now been ordered to serve the six-year prison sentence imposed for his crimes.

Credit image City Of London Police