A man who tried to defraud Transport for London by selling £22,000 worth of fake Travelcards has been jailed for 12 months after an investigation by British Transport Police’s Organised and Financial Crime Unit.
Tomas Cerniauskas (22), of Muggeridge Road, Romford, was sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court on Thursday 22, September after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation at an earlier hearing in August.
Cerniauskas was arrested on Thursday, 10 February at the British Control Zone in Coquelles, France, after having driven a mini-van from Lithuania.
Officials from the UK Border Agency found bundles containing 450 weekly Travelcards and almost 150 credit cards in a money belt stashed under the seats.
The tickets, each of which had a face value of around £50, were found to be counterfeit after being scrutinized by Transport for London’s Fraud Team, although they were of high quality and were able to operate automatic ticket barriers.
The credit cards were also found to be fraudulent after examination by BTP investigators.
BTP Detective Constable Ed Torrance, Financial Investigator, said:
“These tickets were intended to be sold on in London and used on the Tube and rail network in place of legitimate tickets.
“Cerniauskas was caught red-handed with the tickets and could give us absolutely no explanation as to why he had them.
“We will continue to work closely with our partners at the UK Border Agency and rail companies to ensure that those who seek to make financial gain in this way are brought to justice and I hope that this sentencing sends out a clear message that the police and the courts will not tolerate this sort of fraudulent activity.”
Howard Collins, LU’s Chief Operating Officer, said:
“Fraud and fare evasion of this kind robs the Tube of the vital investment needed to improve services for our customers.
“We will continue to work closely with our colleagues in the BTP to ensure that those found to be cheating the system in this way are brought to book and face the sternest possible penalties.”
