A finance worker has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for stealing over £91,000 from a breast cancer charity to finance his wedding and honeymoon. Tameem Choudhury, 29, admitted to fraud and converting criminal property between August and October 2023.
Choudhury, who was employed in the finance team at Breast Cancer Now, diverted funds from The Royal Marsden hospital into his personal bank account. He spent more than £49,000 within two days and also made payments to debt collection agencies and family members.
Messages to friends indicated Choudhury described himself as "borderline broke." His bank account was eventually closed by Santander due to suspicious activity, with £42,866.25 remaining. The prosecution stated Choudhury abused his position of responsibility.
Breast Cancer Now confirmed that following a police investigation, a former staff member was found guilty of fraud charges. The charity stated that it takes the matter seriously, has cooperated with the police, and has reviewed internal processes to prevent similar incidents. The charity also confirmed that the funds have been recovered and the organization has not experienced any financial loss.
Detective Constable Yusuf Meerza of the City of London Police highlighted that Choudhury betrayed the trust of donors and placed charitable funds at risk for personal gain. He added that the case demonstrates how fraud can be committed by individuals entrusted with safeguarding an organization's finances, and that police will continue to work to identify offenders and recover stolen funds.