Roughly £166k
A solicitor who used money from his brother’s drug dealing to pay his mortgage has been struck off.
Paul Simon Green has been removed from the roll of solicitors after being jailed for 26 months last year for using criminal funds to pay his mortgage. Green, who qualified in 2008, was working as a litigator at Barlow Robbins (now Moore Barlow) when the offences took place, before later becoming a partner at a London firm.
According to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), Green obtained a Santander mortgage to purchase a property, stating that he was the sole beneficial owner and that he would be responsible for all mortgage payments.
However, it later emerged that his brother, James Alexander Green, was not only living at the property but had also contributed to both the purchase price and the mortgage repayments. Between 2010 and 2015, James paid £50,000 into Paul’s bank account.
According to a statement released at the time of convictions by the South East Cyber Crimes Unit, the evidence showed at least £166,000 in criminal money was used to fund the mortgage, which was paid off ten years early.
James funded the payments through criminal activity and was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment on five counts. These included two offences similar to his brother’s, as well as supplying cannabis, concealing criminal property — £341,547 in cash, a silver ingot and watches — and possessing a Class B drug with intent to supply in 2019.
The court rejected Paul’s claim that he was unaware of what was going on, with the judge stating: “Contrary to that view, in my judgment, you were hands-on with what was going on. And you may have acted misguidedly — I do not know — to help your brother, but it is clear that you knew much more than you were prepared to admit.”
Paul didn’t challenge his strike off with the matter being dealt with by way of agreed outcome.
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