Wicked fraudster raised £1m in 'charity pub nights' - then kept nearly all the cash
manchestereveningnews.co.ukA race night organiser cheated charities out of hundreds of thousands of pounds which he then kept for himself. Nicholas Hughes, 38, misled pub landlords into believing the money raised at his events was being donated to well-known national charities.
His business held thousands of events across the country and brought in more than £1.4m. However, less than £20,000 of that was actually passed on to charities.
Hughes was eventually caught when a vigilant pub landlord raised concerns about him. Trading Standards Investigators raided his business premises in Barbauld Street, Warrington, where extensive business records were seized. READ MORE: Fury as GMP ban dozens from Manchester Caribbean Carnival with 'street gang' letter The records showed Hughes's business had raised more than £1.4m from at least 4,380 ‘race nights’ he arranged in pubs across England and Wales between 2015 and 2019.
Working together with six national cancer charities and one Alzheimer’s charity, investigators worked out that only £17,469 was donated to the charities.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk