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Boat conman jailed for £335k scam
An Egham conman who stole more than £355,000 from 32 boat owners has been jailed for eight months.
Frank Augier, 64, stole the money over a five-and-a-half year period, during which he was director of three boating companies, Assured Boating, Assured Chandlery and Assured Maritime LTD, all based in Yard Mead, Egham.
Guildford Crown Court heard on Friday August 1 that Augier followed a similar pattern with each fraudulent sale.
Prosecutor Caroline Carberry said Augier would offer to sell boats for their owners, in return for a brokerage fee. But instead he would cash in the boats, worth up to £16,000 each, without sending the rightful owners any of the money.
Christopher Hehir, defending, said that Augier had legitimately sold about 300 boats and only turned to conning clients out of money when he had financial difficulties.
Augier pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading and was sentence by Judge Christoper Critchlow to eight months in prison and was banned from being a company director for five years.
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he stole my boat worth £23000
My Dutch steel cruiser was stolen from South Dock Marina without permission by Frank Augier.
The boat was called "Seagull."