SA court jails conman Christopher Lloyd George for eight years for scamming $233,000 from retirees who had fallen victim to fraud

A conman whose sole income came from targeting victims of fraud and scamming even more money from them has finally been jailed for his despicable crimes.

All fraudsters prey on vulnerability, but Christopher Lloyd George went one despicable step further than the average conman.

He targeted retirees who had already been scammed, falsely claiming he would “travel the world” to recoup their money for them – so long as they paid his expenses.

While the supposed “investment manager” spent some of the $233,000 he took on flights, the majority went on hotels and heroin.

Even after he was caught, George continued his deception by dissuading his victims from giving evidence and refusing to explain his offending to the District Court.

Instead, he blamed a mysterious Dubai-based, American businessman for committing the initial frauds against the people he scammed.

This month, Judge Geraldine Davison brought George’s long con to an end by sentencing him to more than eight years’ jail.

She said little mercy could be shown to a criminal who “remains in denial that you have done anything wrong”.

Scammer Christopher Lloyd George outside the Adelaide Magistrates Court. Picture: Sean Fewster.

“The fact that you offended against people who you knew had already lost a significant amount of money and were very vulnerable is an aggravating feature,” she said.

“You have provided no assistance at all to the authorities to trace the original investments … you have not given any assistance in relation to where the money was secreted.

“You have not paid any compensation … you have not provided any explanation.”

George, 35, of One Tree Hill, pleaded guilty to four aggravated counts of deception and faced a maximum 15-year prison term.

In sentencing, Judge Davison said George told stories of chasing down gold bars, oil tankers and investment dividends to dupe his victims.

They transferred money into his accounts – which contained as little as 10 cents – which he withdrew from ATMs and spent almost immediately.

“The fact that you did not seem to have any other means of supporting yourself, other than through the scams you committed, is also a factor to be taken into account,” she said.

“I do not consider your prospects of rehabilitation to be good.

“You have little insight in relation to the harm that you have caused (your) victims and the fact that they may never be able to recover from the financial losses they have suffered, nor the humiliation and embarrassment of being duped by you in such a significant way.”

She imposed a non-parole period of four years and 10 months.