Prosecutors Recover £1.8 Million from Fugitive Money Launderer Named in Panama Papers
Assets including a home, painting, and gold bars were sold to recoup funds from Lenn Mayhew-Lewis, who remains at large and is believed to be in Africa.
Crime-fighting officials have successfully recovered £1.8 million from Lenn Mayhew-Lewis, a fugitive money launderer whose company accounts were listed in the Panama Papers. The funds were generated through the sale of his former home, a valuable painting, and gold bars.
Mayhew-Lewis, 71, has been on the run since March 2023 and is believed to be in Africa. He was targeted under proceeds of crime powers, with authorities seizing and selling his assets. The largest sum, £766,000, came from the sale of his six-bedroom home in Oxted, Surrey.
A painting by artist Frank Auerbach, titled 'Albert Street, 2009,' was auctioned on November 14, 2024, for £620,000. The National Crime Agency seized the artwork, recognizing it as an asset Mayhew-Lewis purchased in 2017 to 'clean' illicit funds. Approximately £469,000 was raised from the sale of nearly 18 pounds of gold bars and shavings found in a Bentley associated with Mayhew-Lewis when he was arrested in 2019.
Mayhew-Lewis's name appeared in the Panama Papers, a massive 2016 leak of 11.5 million documents from the law firm Mossack Fonseca, which exposed offshore accounts used for hiding assets, tax evasion, and money laundering. His listing identified him as a shareholder of a now-dissolved Bahamian company at his Oxted address.
Officials from the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that the recovered money was obtained from assets restrained by the NCA, not voluntarily surrendered by Mayhew-Lewis. The NCA described him as an individual who provided services to help criminals obscure the origins of their money through a network of companies to filter payments and generate seemingly legitimate income.
Mayhew-Lewis was arrested in 2020 but absconded while on bail. He was subsequently sentenced in his absence to five years in prison for money laundering. He also received an additional nine-month sentence for perverting the course of justice related to a scheme that aided criminals in evading speeding offenses. Evidence, including recorded conversations with an associate discussing bribing officials in Africa, suggests he may be hiding on the continent.
His activities involved moving cash across multiple bank accounts, taking a fee in the process. Mayhew-Lewis utilized overseas companies, operating them as investment platforms, and created fake documents like investment records and bank statements to legitimize transactions. He also assisted a client in acquiring a company used to fraudulently obtain a bounce-back loan.
The Tawiah organized crime group was among his clients. Darryl Tawiah, the group's leader, was already serving a lengthy sentence when he received an additional 25 years in 2022 for running the organization from prison. Tawiah issued instructions from jail to deposit cash into bank accounts linked to companies where Mayhew-Lewis or his associates were directors.
David Spencer, Head of Crime and Justice at the Policy Exchange think tank, commended the NCA's efforts and raised the question of how government policy will facilitate more such asset recovery cases. Proceeds of Crime Act seizures have averaged around £152 million annually over the past six years. The total recovery from Mayhew-Lewis exceeds sums paid by notorious criminals, including those involved in the 2015 Hatton Garden heist.
Olivia Rose of the Crown Prosecution Service's Proceeds of Crime Division stated that the recovered funds will contribute to fighting organized crime and ensuring that ill-gotten gains do not benefit criminals.