Insurance fraudster ordered to pay back criminal gains

A chartered loss adjuster jailed for fraudulently submitting a series of fake insurance claims using relatives’ identities, has been ordered to repay criminal gains of more than £200,000.

Justin Boydell, 51, of Careg Llyd, Bridgend, Wales, abused his position to process fake claims and invoices which he portrayed to be genuine.

Boydell, formerly of Brundall, Norfolk, also kept items recovered from genuine claims, such as items stolen during a burglary, which should have been sold on behalf of insurers but instead kept for himself.

A joint investigation between financial investigators at the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) and Norfolk Constabulary began in 2023 after a relative of Boydell discovered a bank account set up without their permission.

Documents were also found relating to an insurance claim at a deceased relative’s home.

Between 2015 and 2022, Boydell employed three main methods:

• Using stolen identities of relatives to open bank accounts and email accounts to obtain home insurance policies. Boydell would then submit high value claims and engineered circumstances to ensure he was appointed as the loss adjuster for bogus claims, using fabricated emails, reports and invoices to support the payout.
• Whilst carrying out his loss adjuster role on genuine claims such as fires and floods, Boydell fabricated additional work which never occurred.  He produced fake invoices and correspondence to support a payout to fictional contractors, subsequently verifying the work and authorising the insurance company to pay the invoices.
  
  
• Instead of returning recovered items or selling them on behalf of the insurers Boydell kept items for himself. This included a Rolex Submariner watch worth £9,350 and a piece of artwork worth £2,750 later found hanging in his home.

Boydell subsequently laundered the proceeds of the fraudulent claims through various financial products such as savings accounts, which also then accrued interest which he retained.

His fraudulent activities spanned eight years from September 2015 and extended to writing glowing reviews from his fictitious clients hailing his professional service – feedback that boosted his bonus payments.

In interview when the allegations were put to him, he admitted to his part in each of the frauds.

In December 2024, he was sentenced to four years and four months in jail, having previously admitted to seven offences of fraud by false representation and one offence of transferring/converting/concealing criminal property.

A further nine offences of fraud by false representation to be taken into consideration by the court (TIC).

At a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing held on Monday, 24 March, Boydell was ordered to pay £203,564.90, of which £200,571.67 will be paid as compensation to his victims - predominantly insurance companies. He must do this within three months or face a further two years and six months in prison.

Senior Financial Investigations Manager Paul Fitzsimmons from ERSOU’s Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU), said: “This was a substantial investigation and working jointly with our colleagues in Norfolk Constabulary, and we have been able to strip Boydell of his ill-gotten gains.

“Boydell will now be made to pay the full price of his actions, ensuring that crime does not pay.

“Using POCA legislation we have been able to fully recover funds which will be returned to those defrauded through Boydell’s criminality.”

PC Victoria Church, from Norfolk Constabulary, said: “The scale of Boydell’s dishonesty to make personal gain for himself was unparallelled and I am pleased he has been ordered to return money he made fraudulently.

“As well as stripping him of everything he accumulated I hope it shows others who are engaging in criminal activity that officers will work to investigate and dismantle their operations no matter how hard they think they have tried to cover their tracks.”