FORMER PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYER JAILED FOR FRAUD

On Thursday, a former Premier League footballer was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for defrauding his family and friends out of 15 million pounds ($18.2 million).

Richard Rufus, who played for Charlton Athletic in England’s top flight from 1998 to 2004 and was also an England under-21 international, claimed to be a successful foreign exchange trader and convinced his victims to invest in a “low-risk” scheme with promises of returns of 60% per year.

Rufus, 47, was found guilty of fraud, money laundering, and engaging in a regulated activity without authorization at Southwark Crown Court.

Prosecutors discovered that Rufus used some of the money invested to repay others in a pyramid scheme and the rest to “maintain an elite professional footballer’s lifestyle.”

“Rufus acted selfishly, with no regard for his victims,” said Crown Prosecution Service’s Roger Makanjuola.

“He used his position as a professional athlete, a respected church member, and the goodwill of his family and friends to defraud them and associates out of millions of pounds by falsely claiming he could offer a low-risk investment in the Foreign Exchange Market.”

Rufus, who had only played for Charlton in his professional career, was forced to retire in 2004 due to a knee injury.