Glasgow Man Jailed for £710,000 Covid Fraud Against Leeds Council

Aftab Baig, 47, has been sentenced to four years in prison for defrauding Leeds City Council out of £710,000 in Covid business grants by impersonating a property manager for the bakery chain Greggs. The fraud took place during the pandemic when he and accomplices made false claims against all 32 Leeds branches of Greggs, using a forged email address to request business rates information. After the claims were submitted in May 2020, the council identified the fraud just five days later and froze the account, though over £90,000 remains outstanding. Baig, who had no connection to Greggs, was arrested in July 2020, with police discovering £16,000 in cash and forged documents at his home. The judge emphasized the seriousness of Baig's actions during a national crisis, highlighting the need for deterrence in cases of fraud against public funds. Baig was found guilty of three counts of fraud in February 2023.