An Ealing hair products trader who sold shampoo and conditioner on eBay stole £51,000 by filing false VAT claims.
Tomasz Piekarski, from Southall , was given a 16-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, after he pleaded guilty to fraud charges at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday (December 1).
The court heard how, following an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the 50-year-old sold shampoo and conditioner through eBay and exported them to wholesalers in Poland.
But when HMRC checked his business records, officers found he had submitted 31 false invoices to reclaim VAT on thousands of hair products he never bought.
Mr Piekarski claimed that his business was making a loss, but further checks into his bank accounts and lifestyle failed to back up his claim.
Assistant director at the Fraud Investigation Service at HMRC, John Cooper, said: “Piekarski thought he could get away with stealing from the taxpayer and the UK economy without any consequences, but he was wrong.
"We will seek out and tackle this form of criminality and will take appropriate action though the courts whenever we can."
Mr Piekarski was also ordered to pay back £51,135.69.
He was charged with offences of fraud by false representation, which he carried out between March 2009 to March 2013.
