Former Edinburgh court custody manager admits fake female escort fraud
Court worker used fake escort alias to defraud men online
A former sheriff court custody manager has admitted posing as a female escort online to defraud men.
Lee Moffat, 29, told his victims he was a sex worker and offered to send them naked images and videos in return for them sending quantities of cash to him.
Moffat also offered the seven men escort services in the name of ‘Danielle’ during the sordid contact over a two year period between 2016 and 2018.
Moffat, from Armadale, West Lothian, attempted to obtain between £50 and £200 from each man for the fake escort services. He obtained a total of about £200.
The elaborate escort scam was only uncovered when police officers raided his home in relation to an investigation into equipment going missing from an office at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
Moffat was found to have been secretly entering a police staff room at the court and stealing items while he was employed as a GeoAmey custody manager.
The former court boss eventually admitted pilfering a stab-proof vest, utility belt, three batons, lanyards and a Crown Office ID card from the office over a nine year period.
He was also caught with a black fleece jacket with a police badge sewn on and a fake warrant card and the charge stated the crimes were “calculated to suggest you were a constable”.
He was sacked from his managerial position and jailed for 12 months following an appearance in the dock at Livingston Sheriff Court in January last year.
Moffat was back at his former work place on Friday June 5 where he pleaded guilty to forming a fraudulent scheme and obtaining money and attempting to obtain money by pretending to be a female named Danielle on various platforms between October 31, 2016 and October 23, 2018.
Allegations of Moffat obtaining sexually explicit images from the seven victims was deleted from the charge before his guilty plea was accepted by the Crown.
Fiscal depute Mark Keane told the court police discovered the conversations on WhatsApp and other electronic platforms between Moffat and the men when examining his mobile phone.
The prosecutor said seven men were duped into believing they were chatting to an escort named ‘Danielle” and Moffat had attempted to get them to send him cash in exchange for pictures and videos.
Mr Keane said each man was asked for between £50 and £200 but the court was told Moffat had only managed to make around £200 from the fraud.
Solicitor Victoria Good, defending, told the court her client was only 20 when he committed the “fairly unusual” offences and had previously been employed as a custody manager at the court.
Ms Good said: “During the investigation last year this matter came to light.
“Mr Moffat used to work in this building, he was a manager with GeoAmey, and matters came to light which involved that job.
“As a result of that, there was an indictment matter at Livingston court and he was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.”
The lawyer said Moffat had been released early from his prison term and despite being electrically monitored he had gained employment and is currently working as a driver.
Ms Good said the amount of money Moffat had gained from the escort fraud was “very limited”.
Sheriff Alistair Noble deferred sentence for the preparation of a social work report and a restriction of liberty order assessment to next month.