Fleetwood Town FC: Owner and former Chairman Andy Pilley jailed for fraud

The owner and former Chairman of Fleetwood Town Football Club has been jailed for a multi-million pound fraud. Following an investigation from trading standards, the owner, Andy Pilley, was found to have mis-sold gas and electricity contracts and posted fake customer comments on websites.

Pilley, 53, resigned as the chairman and club director of League One’s Fleetwood Town after he was convicted last month.

The Lancashire-man has now been jailed for 13 years after being found guilty at Preston Crown Court on two counts of running a business with the intention of defrauding creditors, one count of false representation, and one count of being concerned with the retention of criminal property. Three others have also been jailed for their involvement in the scam.

This is not the first time Pilley has been to prison. In 1998, the now 53-year-old went to prison for four months for conspiracy to steal from the Post Office when he was a counter clerk.

The club, based at Highbury Stadium, finished 13th in the 2022/23 League One season and is now chaired by Steve Curwood. They recently played a club friendly against Waterford on Tuesday 4 July and secured a 5-1 win.

Here is all that was said following the trial...

What has been said?

On sentencing, Judge Knowles KC said Pilley’s story was one of ‘squalid lies, greed and fraud,” when it “could have been the remarkable story of redemption.”

The Judge said a “salesforce of cold-calling liars and manipulators duped very large numbers of honest and decent proprietors” into “long and expensive contracts” for their gas and electricity amounting to tens of millions of pounds.

Judge Knowles KC also said Pilley “devised and enforced an elaborate pretence that the sales team were independent of the supply companies. The truth was that he owned them and called the shots.

Following the sentencing, Fleetwood FC said: “The club would like to reiterate convictions are against individuals and not Fleetwood Town FC, or any of the businesses associated with them and will continue to operate as normal.”

The side also noted “it remains in communication with the EFL in relation to the implications of the convictions and will now be making an application to the League in relation to a change of control.”

Kate Jones, who works with the North West Regional Trading Standards, told BBC Radio Lancashire she was “relieved and absolutely delighted” on behalf of all the small business owners who had been victims of the fraud. “I’m glad that we have been able to help them get justice. It’s been a slog to get here, but it’s been worth absolutely every day for the verdicts.”