East Lancs poster fraudster ordered to pay back £500,000

A fraudster jailed for more than three and a half years for creating counterfeit posters has been ordered to pay back more than £500,000.

Counterfeiter Adam Jeffreys was jailed on 19 December 2023 for making and selling counterfeit posters, following action by Lancashire County Council's Trading Standards service.

It has been revealed that he made a profit of £1million through his sales, totalling £1,819,783.18.

At a proceeds of crime hearing at Preston's Sessions House, Jeffreys, 41, was assessed to have £514,052.77 available which he must pay in full or face an extra five years added to his sentence. 

The court also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of all items seized, including posters and a commercial printer.

Nick McNamara, from Lancashire County Council's Trading Standards service, said: "We are delighted that as well as a lengthy jail term, Jeffreys will also see his ill-gotten gains confiscated.

"This shows how seriously we take bringing offenders to justice. Our Trading Standards team have worked tirelessly and this case has been concluded with the best possible outcome.

"Legitimate businesses work hard and don't deserve to have their intellectual rights stolen by pirates."

Jeffreys, formerly of Skipton Old Road, Colne was previously sentenced at Preston Crown Court for offences of infringing copyright and registered trademarks and fraudulent trading between 2014 and 2021.

In December, the court was told that, over the course of seven years, he sold tens of thousands of counterfeit posters. His enterprise came crashing down on 3 November 2021 when Trading Standards officers executed a warrant at his luxury farmhouse.

As well as a large commercial printer and posters packaged and ready to be sent out, officers discovered a hard drive containing thousands of famous images, including James Bond, Harry Potter and Batman as well as big names in football, TV and music.           

Jeffreys, who is believed to have made over 150,000 sales in the UK and Germany under the names of ‘Plymouth Trading Co’, ‘Plakat Welt’ and ‘Poster Station’, tried to convince the court that he had not realised he was doing anything wrong.

His claims fell on deaf ears when the court was told that he faked invoices and sent fictitious emails in a bid to show his posters were legitimate.

It also emerged that, throughout his offending, Jeffreys had a day job with a leading UK poster manufacturer, who he had kept completely unaware of his illegal sideline – even blaming a relative for making a malicious complaint against him when it looked like he might be exposed.

In May 2021, Jeffreys had used his official work email to plead on behalf of his 'customers' – who were really his own businesses – after steps had been taken to block him from selling online.

The court was told that on a single day in October 2021, a Trading Standards officer found 6,400 different designs of poster being advertised for sale, typically at £8.99 plus postage.

Sentencing Adam Jeffreys to 43 months' imprisonment, His Honour Judge Jeffries KC described him as a "liar who had operated with a brazen disregard for licensing and trademark laws."