Ringleader of Illegal immigration scam jailed for nine years

An investigation lasting more than 2 years and involving more than 200 police offers is coming to a close.  Officials arrested Venrick Clarke who preyed upon illegal immigrants.  Clarke would find a spouse for these illegal immigrants so that they would be able to stay in the country.  Courts have decided to hand Clarke a 9 year prison sentence for his activities.

The operation setup by Clarke was very elaborate. The chief prosecutor of the case, Adrian Phillips, noted that "The operation was very sophisticated and Clarke would provide all the necessary documents.  This would include bank statements and utility bills. He would even have meetings to arrange how people would answer questions.  The bride would be provided with a wedding dress, a ring, and there would even be a fake reception held.  There were dresses in different sizes. Some of these weddings were in churches but the vicars had no idea what was going on. This is certainly the biggest immigration case I have seen in the West Midlands."

Phillips also noted that the Crown Prosecution Service is "extremely committed to confiscation proceedings.  This will involve the defendant giving us a document outlining where his assets have come from, and this is being investigated.  We usually take six months to investigate. It is not just money in bank accounts but houses and property we can confiscate."

Several of the illegal immigrants that paid Venrick for his services were also jailed.

www.cps.gov.uk