Latest news with #Charlot
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Yahoo
‘Walter Mitty' Army quartermaster stole MoD supplies to buy mistress expensive gifts
A 'Walter Mitty' Army quartermaster stole military supplies to buy his mistress expensive gifts in order to maintain the fantasy that he was rich, a court heard. Jed Charlot, 45, stole nearly £500,000 worth of Ministry of Defence items then sold them on eBay – making almost £350,000 – so he could buy his lover a Louis Vuitton handbag, TAG Heuer watches and a Mont Blanc pen. He even offered to steal more so he could have his sperm frozen in case he went to jail, prosecutors said. After pleading guilty to one count of fraud, Charlot was jailed for three years and will serve a minimum of 14 months. Salisbury Court heard Mauritius-born Charlot joined the British Army in 2007 and worked his way up the ranks to become a Quartermaster Sergeant (QMS) with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corps in Tidworth, Wiltshire. A QMS is responsible for supplies and stores in the military and earns £38,000 on average. In June 2021, Charlot – whose wife Marie stood by him during the court proceedings – embarked on an affair, the court was told. The veteran's fraudulent behaviour began that autumn when his mistress started to 'pressure' him over holidays, the court heard. The QMS used his own MoD email to order printers and toner from an Army contractor based in Nottingham before selling them on to companies in the UK and America, the court heard. In total he stole £487,919.80 in equipment and made £349,120.68 from selling them on eBay before being caught when an MoD official found they were short of printers. Tom Wilkins, prosecuting, said Charlot made repeat orders to avoid the fraud being detected. He said: 'Between late 2021 and the end of 2022 the defendant ordered, using his MoD laptop and code, printers and toner cartridges from a company in Nottingham. 'The fraud was discovered by a civilian administrator in Bulford [army base] preparing for an operation in Germany. They were short of printers. 'She saw the defendant's unit had spent grossly in excess of the procurement budget.' Mr Wilkins explained the fraud was traced back to Charlot and he was confronted by a senior officer. The prosecutor added that in a message to an undisclosed recipient in October 2022 he admitted theft. It read: 'Whoa, it's just money. In for a penny, in for £300k. Calm down I have stolen £300,000 already, I can steal more, that is the clinic stressing you out about the frozen sperm, we froze it in case I was in jail.' Mary Cowe, defending, said the offence was 'inexplicable' given Charlot's previous 'exemplary conduct' during his service. She said: 'He joined the Army to improve his prospects, he has moved through the ranks. 'He reacted badly to the pressures in his life at the time. He has gone to his GP, he has done therapy ... he is realising that is how he should have dealt with this rather than creating this Walter Mitty-style existence.' Charlot, who had received his long service and good conduct medals, was sentenced to three years in jail with 14 months in custody and the rest served on licence. His Honour Judge Rufus Taylor said Charlot 'felt pressured' by his mistress to earn more money as he had lied to her about his wealth. Judge Taylor said: 'The explanation you gave in your report was that, in about June 2019, you began having an affair and you told your mistress you had lots of money. That wasn't true. 'In November 2021 she was pressuring you and asking 'if you have got all of this money, why aren't we going on holiday?' You felt pressured. You are genuinely remorseful.' Charlot, of Andover, Hampshire, left the Army in June 2024 and has since lost his military accommodation.
The Guardian
30-01-2025
- The Guardian
Army quartermaster jailed for stealing almost £500,000 of supplies from MoD
A British army quartermaster defrauded the UK government out of almost £500,000 worth of supplies after feeling under pressure from his girlfriend to prove he was rich. Jed Charlot, 45, who was married, placed more than 600 fraudulent orders and sold the items on eBay, using the proceeds to buy designer gear including watches. Charlot was jailed for three years for using taxpayers' money to place more than 600 fraudulent orders for printers and toner. He joined the army in 2007 having previously been a police officer and worked his way through the ranks to become quartermaster sergeant (QMS) with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in Tidworth, Wiltshire. A QMS is responsible for supplies and stores in the military and earns on average £38,000. Charlot began an affair in June 2021, Salisbury crown court heard. His fraudulent behaviour commenced when his girlfriend started to 'pressure' him over holidays. He used his own Ministry of Defence email to order printers and toner from an army contractor before selling them on to companies in the UK and US. In total he took £487,919.80 in equipment and made £349,120.68 from selling it on before being caught when an MoD administrator found they were short of printers and toner. Tom Wilkins, prosecuting, said: 'Between late 2021 and the end of 2022 the defendant ordered printers and toner cartridges from a company in Nottingham. The fraud was discovered by a civilian administrator preparing for an operation in Germany, they were short of printers. She saw the defendant's unit had spent grossly in excess of the procurement budget.' Wilkins said the fraud was traced back to Charlot and he was confronted by a senior officer. 'The defendant claimed he had been hacked. He was arrested following further enquiries, his home was searched and police found a Louis Vuitton handbag, two Tag Heuer watches, a Garmin exercise watch and a Mont Blanc pen,' the prosecutor said. 'To keep the orders below the threshold at which a red flag would have been raised the defendant made 676 orders over about a year.' In a message to an undisclosed recipient in October 2022 Charlot said he could obtain more money to freeze his own sperm in case he was jailed. Mary Cowe, defending, said the offence was 'inexplicable' given Charlot's previous 'exemplary conduct'. She said: 'He has done therapy ... he is realising that is how he should have dealt with this rather than creating this Walter Mitty-style existence.' Judge Taylor told Charlot: 'You began having an affair, you told your mistress you were rich, which was not true. 'In November 2021 she was pressuring you and asking: 'If you have got all of this money, why aren't we going on holiday? You used some of the money to buy clothes and gifts for family. Charlot, of Andover in Hampshire, left the army in June 2024. He pleaded guilty to one count of fraud.
