Maximum director ban for music producer who falsified bank statements to secure £150,000 loan and VAT refund
Director disqualified for 15 years
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Felix Milton has been banned from acting as a company director for 15 years after submitting falsified bank statements to obtain a £150,000 government-backed loan and a VAT refund of almost £180,000
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Milton altered several documents to show millions of pounds in his company account when the true balance was as little as £3.20, and created fake invoices to support the claims
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The Nameless Ltd. was wound up in August 2022, and Milton’s misconduct could have cost HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) millions of pounds more had they not detected and blocked further falsified VAT claims
A music producer who falsified bank statements to convince a finance provider to lend his company £150,000 and fabricated invoices to HMRC has been disqualified for the maximum term of 15 years.
Felix Milton dramatically misrepresented the financial position of his company, The Nameless Ltd., by millions of pounds in obtaining the loan in the autumn of 2021.
Earlier that year, the company secured a VAT refund of almost £180,000 from HMRC which was supported by falsified bank statements and fake purchase invoices.
The 43-year-old then attempted to secure a further £4.3 million in VAT refunds using falsified invoices which were denied when HMRC became aware that the documents were false.
Milton, of Thorpebank Road, London, was disqualified at a hearing of the High Court in London on Tuesday 4 November, with his ban coming into effect on Tuesday 25 November.
He was also ordered to pay costs of £10,826.
Victoria Edgar, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:
Felix Milton significantly altered numerous bank statements to make his company appear more financially stable and successful than it actually was.
His deception tricked a finance provider into lending money it would never have approved and obtained VAT refunds the company was not entitled to.
In disqualifying Milton for the maximum period of 15 years, the judge described his misconduct as ‘fraud two times over’.
The business community and wider public deserve protection from those who demonstrate that they are wholly unfit to act as company directors. Milton’s ban runs until November 2040, reflecting the severity of his dishonest conduct.
Milton described himself on social media as having “immense success” as a music producer and mix engineer for more than two decades in the music industry both in the UK and internationally.
The Nameless Ltd. began trading in February 2018. Milton said it was a music production service which bought equipment in the UK to sell abroad for a profit.
However, by the end of September 2021, the company bank accounts showed a balance of just £3.20.
Milton presented falsified versions of the company’s bank statements, which showed a balance of £7.6 million to the lender one month later in applying for a £150,000 loan under the Recovery Loan Scheme - a government scheme supporting access to finance for small and medium-sized UK businesses.
In the falsified statements, transaction amounts were inflated, payments to personal accounts were deleted, and balances were increased to show sums in the millions rather than the actual figures of hundreds or low thousands of pounds.
The finance company confirmed it would never have approved the loan application had it been aware of The Nameless Ltd.’s true financial position.
Milton caused the company to submit false information to HMRC to claim VAT refunds from May 2021.
The Nameless Ltd. successfully obtained a VAT refund of £179,444 for the period covering February 2020 to January 2021, supported by falsified bank statements and fake purchase invoices.
When HMRC contacted the suppliers named on the invoices to verify them, they confirmed the invoices were not genuine and that they had conducted little or no actual business with The Nameless Ltd.
Milton failed to accept responsibility for his actions during the investigations. He initially blamed a deceased business partner for creating the false documents, despite being the sole director responsible for the day-to-day running of the company and the sole signatory on the bank account.
However, Milton later acknowledged his involvement in altering the invoices.
The Nameless Ltd. entered compulsory liquidation in August 2022, owing more than £4 million to creditors.
Milton did not defend the disqualification proceedings brought against him by the Insolvency Service.
The disqualification order prevents him from being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.
Further Insolvency Service enquiries into Milton remain ongoing.
Further information
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Felix Milton is of Thorpebank Road, London. His date of birth is 18 June 1982
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The Nameless Ltd. (company number 11201277)
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Individuals subject to a disqualification order or undertaking are bound by a range of restrictions