A City boss compared to the The Wolf Of Wall Street has been sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment in his absence over a £70 million Ponzi-style investment scam.
Anthony Constantinou, 41, went on the run during his seven-week Southwark Crown Court trial and is thought to be in Turkey or Dubai after being stopped in Bulgaria with a fake Spanish passport.
Hundreds of investors were duped out of a total of £70 million between 2013 and 2015 while he ran Capital World Markets (CWM).
Prosecutor David Durose KC said £5.8 million was spent “to boost the image and profile” of the firm “in an attempt to hoodwink investors”.
CWM had high-profile sponsorship deals with the Honda Moto GP, Chelsea Football Club, Wigan Warriors rugby league club, Cyclone Boxing Promotions and the London Boat Show.
Southwark Crown Court heard how Constantinou spent £2.5 million of investors’ money on his “no expense spared” wedding on Greek island Santorini in September 2014, while his son’s first birthday party a few days earlier cost more than £70,000.
More than £470,000 was paid for private jet hire to fly him and his associates to Moto GP races across Europe as well as a return flight to Nice for a 150,000 Euro five-day yacht cruise around the Mediterranean to Monaco.
