'Lord of Fraud' found guilty of plotting world's largest bank raid

London, Mar 5 (ANI): Hugh Rodley, who has been nicknamed the "Lord of Fraud," has been convicted of plotting to carry out the world's largest ever bank raid.

The fraudster, who called himself Lord Rodley after buying a title, was the mastermind behind a plan to hack into the computers of a City bank and transfer 229 million pounds to accounts set up across the world by a Soho sex shop owner.

He along with his close aides targeted the accounts of technology firms Casio and Toshiba at Sumitomo Matsui bank in the City.

The thug and his gang used a crooked security guard to disable the CCTV systems and let in a group of hired "hackers" via a back door.

The hackers were allowed in the back on the pretence that they were playing a game of poker, reports The Telegraph.

Echoing the plot of a Hollywood movie, the plan was almost successful but was foiled at the last minute due to a faulty password being entered into the computers.

According to reports, Rodley, found guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court in London, is one of Britain's most prolific fraudsters.

He manufactured a persona as an aristocrat by becoming a Lord of the Manor to hide a criminal record going back 30 years.

It was in 2006 that Rodley masterminded the bank raid plot, along with his business partner Bernard Davies, 74.

However, on January 16, just three days before the trial began, Davies committed suicide after complaining of threats from an underworld villain known only as Mendes.

During the trial it was found that Rodley had tried to defraud the English National Ballet by banking a fake cheque from the company for 45,120 pounds.

Rodley even scammed his other business partner, David Nash, who ran a sex shop in London's West End, by squandering more than 27,000 pounds on credit and store cards by stealing Nash's identity.

Rodley and Nash will be sentenced today and at the same time the court will also deal with bank insider and security supervisor Kevin O'Donoghue, 34, of Birmingham, Belgian computer expert Jan Van Osselaer, 32, and his "recruiter", Frenchman Gilles Poelvoorde, 35, who admitted conspiracy to steal. (ANI)