21 ARRESTED IN BUILDER FRAUD
            $10 MILLION STOLEN
London, England: It was a vast conspiracy by industry insiders to defraud their own employees and the government to the tune of millions of dollars. Building sites became cash registers for the money- hungry contractors and their accomplices. The scam started over 6 years ago....

Police raids resulted in frozen bank accounts, drug seizures and piles of paperwork documenting the crimes. Due to strict privacy laws in the UK, the suspects were not identified but it is known that they were all contractors and their asociates. The scheme revolved around a type of tax fraud that makes a lot of money for the employers and leaves their employees out in the cold. The basic criminal conspiracy revolves around the discrepancies in tax collection that can occur when an employer deducts tax payments from a workers paycheck but does not send the money to the government. The non-payments hurt the workers by underreporting their contributions to pension, health, personal tax and other financial obligations. English law allows for the confiscation of property and cash derived from criminal enterprises and it is expected that once convicted, the parties reponsible will lose the profits from their illegal gain.