A Cwmbran man was prosecuted for fraud for failing to disclose information to the Security Industry Authority (SIA). Ashley Marcel Zennadi, used multiple aliases to disguise prior criminal convictions. He pleaded guilty to fraud offences at Cwmbran Magistrates' Court on Thursday, 28 September 2023. The court fined him £200, ordered him to pay £645 prosecution costs and a court surcharge of £34.
The SIA issued Ashley Marcel Zennadi with an SIA licence on 10 May 2022 following his application using the alias 'Tommy Trevor Egan'. Zennadi did not declare any of his previous criminality nor the aliases that he had used in earlier applications to the SIA. Zennadi's licence was suspended by the SIA on discovery of suspicious activity.
The SIA's criminal investigators interviewed Zennadi under caution on 20 December 2022. During the interview, Zennadi admitted making the SIA licence applications in the names of 'Tommy Egan' and 'Ashley Marcel' and he confirmed that Ashley Zennadi was his birth name. He admitted to having previous criminal convictions but claimed that his girlfriend completed the application form which is why details were missing and/or incorrect in places.
Zennadi was briefly a director of Viczen Security Ltd in the name of 'Marcel Zenn' between 14 February 2020 and 22 March 2020. This coincided with a man named 'Omar Victory' who was also a director of the company between 14 February 2020 and 1 November 2021. The SIA prosecuted Omar Victory for fraud on 15 June 2023.
In October 2019 and in December 2010 Ashley Zennadi applied for an SIA licence but the SIA rejected the applications on both occasions due to his previous criminality.
Mark Chapman, one of the SIA's criminal investigations managers, said:
Mr Zennadi dishonestly failed to disclose to the SIA in his application forms aliases due to his previous record. He attempted to evade our checks by using multiple alternative names to apply for an SIA licence. In failing to declare his various name changes Mr Zennadi sought to disguise his adverse former history from the SIA. Under both his birth name Ashley Zennadi and his alias Marcel Zenn, he had criminal convictions. He deliberately failed to disclose these to evade our scrutiny and illegally obtain a licence - this is a criminal offence. In this Zennadi sought to make a gain for himself by obtaining a legitimate SIA licence by fraudulent means. The licensing regime and the regulations that underpin it are there to protect the public and through his dishonest actions Mr Zennadi has demonstrated that he is wholly unsuitable to be the holder of an SIA licence.
Notes:
- By law, security operatives working under contract must hold and display a valid SIA licence
- Read about SIA enforcement and penalties
- The offences relating to the Fraud Act 2006 that is mentioned above is:
- Section 3 - fraud by failing to disclose information
