This week’s Law Officer’s Spotlight is on David Knott, a Case Controller at the Serious Fraud Office (UK). Since joining in 2020, David has worked on various investigations and prosecutions of complex economic crime.
David led the team which successfully prosecuted two former directors of Global Forestry Investments for conspiring to defraud investors across three Brazilian teak tree investment schemes. This January, the Court of Appeal upheld the convictions and the 11-year prison sentences.
The schemes took in around £37 million by claiming the investments were secure, would help to protect the Amazon rainforest, and support local Brazilian communities. David’s team uncovered how the pair used fake names, nominees and offshore companies to conceal the reality on the ground – the pair were enriching themselves with investor money. Read More