Unsuspected Pension Fraudsters Targeted Louis Tomlinson in a Failed Multi-million Pound Doncaster Rovers Takeover Attempt
In a surprising turn of events, a group of pension fraudsters have been convicted for attempting to take over Louis Tomlinson's boyhood football club, Doncaster Rovers. The group, including Kevin Phelan, Daniel Giles, and Adrian Bashforth, aimed to raise £6 million for the takeover through a crowdfunding campaign, promising to invest this sum. The court heard that Sequentia Capital SA, the primary investor, was sourcing its funds from stolen pension money. If the takeover was successful, 70% of Doncaster Rovers would be handed over to this Belize-based company. However, the deal for Louis Tomlinson to take over Doncaster Rovers has collapsed, and the crowdfunder raised only £600,000, falling significantly short of the needed amount. The fraud was uncovered last month, with Phelan, Giles, and Bashforth being convicted. Phelan, who was actually bankrupt, had the £500,000 he had promised for the takeover provided by a member of his fraud gang. Louis Tomlinson, who became involved with the group in 2014 when he was at the peak of his One Direction fame, claims he was misled about the deal not being dependent on the money raised by the crowdfunding. He insists contractually that he would never earn a penny from Doncaster Rovers. Some pensioners lost their life savings in the scam, and the fraudsters are expected to receive significant jail terms when they are sentenced in January. The fraudsters had hoped to use the Doncaster Rovers deal to explain away the source of the stolen money. Louis Tomlinson expressed his desire to help Doncaster Rovers and the community. Despite the failed takeover attempt, he still hopes to be involved with the club moving forward. His reps have been contacted for comment. Louis Tomlinson's loans for the unsuccessful takeover attempt of Doncaster Rovers were provided by unknown private investors. The agreement with Louis Tomlinson and John Ryan, Doncaster Rovers' former chairman, was for this crowdfunding campaign to raise the rest of the needed cash. Irish businessman Kevin Phelan first approached John Ryan in 2013, falsely claiming to have an investor ready. No suggestion has been made that Louis Tomlinson knew about the pension fraud. The fraudsters are due to be sentenced in January, and the impact of their actions on the pensioners and the football club continues to be felt.
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