Gareth Hughes
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/7303648.stm
A family who duped £3m out of elderly and vulnerable customers through a damp-proofing scam has been jailed.
Nigel Hudson, 49, trained staff in how to con people in the north west of England into having unnecessary damp proof work carried out at their homes.
Hudson, who was extradited from the United States, admitted conspiracy to obtain property by deception and was jailed for eight years and four months.
At Preston Crown Court, his wife Sarah and son Mark were also jailed.
The court heard how Nigel Hudson, who also admitted conspiracy to launder money, set up and ran a number of damp-proofing businesses between August 2004 and November 2006.
He transferred money out of the country and used it to fund his and his wife's lavish lifestyle in Portugal and Florida.
Sarah Hudson, 26, was convicted by a jury of two conspiracy charges and was sentenced to three years and four months.
Mark Hudson, 21, of Castle View, Clitheroe, Lancashire, was jailed for four years having also been convicted of two conspiracy charges.
Four other men linked to the fraud were also given jail terms ranging from three to five years. A fifth man received a suspended sentence.
Roxanne Johnson, 24, of King Street, Clitheroe, admitted conspiracy to obtain property by deception and received 50 weeks in prison, suspended for a year.