TWO of Wolverhampton’s most notorious criminals have today (27 July) been jailed for money laundering for their part in a multi-million pound tax fraud.
Carl and Anthony Johnson appeared at Birmingham Crown Court earlier where they were handed two years and nine months respectively.
The brothers, who have a long-standing reputation for violence in Wolverhampton, were found guilty of money laundering on Monday 9 July.
Their trial was the last in a series of criminal prosecution against 13 men following a joint investigation between West Midlands Police and HM Revenue & Customs.
The court heard how the Johnson brothers provided protection for Solihull tax crook Thomas Scragg, 56, who himself is already serving a 17-year jail term for three separate fraud convictions.
Using their reputation as local thugs, Carl (49) and Anthony (51) looked after Scragg as he defrauded the public purse to the tune of £34 million, through his Wednesfield based company Moya Payroll.
The court heard how the brothers lived extravagant lifestyles using money they received from Scragg in return for their protection services.
In total he paid the brothers, who had a string of convictions for violence and witness intimidation, around £2.4m.
All three men spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on luxury hotels in London and regularly ran up massive bills in local restaurants.
But their extravagance did not go unnoticed and the people of Wolverhampton began to ask questions about their seemingly ill-gotten gains – regularly turning to the police for answers.
An investigation was launched into the Johnson brothers in 2007 and the five year inquiry has taken until today to come to fruition.
Police.uk press release link: click here