Former council chief jailed for money laundering

03 March 2010

The former deputy leader of Preston Council Frank McGrath has been sentenced to four and a half years for money laundering for a Class A drug trafficker.

Frank McGrath was convicted last month in Manchester Crown Court of laundering more than £300,000 over a four month period for Silvano Turchet, who is currently serving 15 years for the importation of Class A drugs.

Turchet owned a private jet, high value cars, jewellery, and a property portfolio which included an aircraft hangar. He had a pilot's licence which he utilised frequently to make drugs runs to Belgium.  At the time of his arrest in May 2006, he was claiming unemployment benefit.

Self-styled accountant McGrath, who had no accountancy qualifications, admitted that in December 2004 he purchased a £116,000 house in Wrexham and placed £154,000 in an Italian bank account. In March 2005, more than £42,000 was used for the construction of the hangar for Turchet's private plane, and the following month Turchet bought a £17,000 Patek Phillipe watch in a jewellers in Chester with money supplied by McGrath.

Silvano Turchet who pleaded guilty at the beginning of the trial was sentenced to six years to run consecutively to his current prison sentence.

Ian Cruxton, Deputy Director, SOCA said:
"Serious organised criminals are motivated by money which buys them lifestyle and influence. Those who help them through money laundering enable the profits of crime to be invested in further criminal activity and this affects us all.

"SOCA doesn't stop when it has caught and convicted the criminals. We will go after their wealth and we are determined to make sure they can't use it or enjoy it."

The Judge granted a Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO) to both McGrath and Turchet which will come into effect after their release from prison.