Fox of Folkestone: Conman from Kent who modelled himself on Wolf of Wall Street

Conman who compared himself to character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in hit film while duping investors out of £80k to fund lavish lifestyle is jailed for two years

Daniel Burgoyne and Leonardo DiCaprio
Daniel Burgoyne, right, compared himself to Jordan Belfort, the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street, left Credit: Photo: Stian Alexander

A conman who posted photos on Facebook of him enjoying the high life - drinking champagne and posing with wads of cash and a Rolex watch - has been jailed for two years.

Daniel Burgoyne, who posed as a "man with a Midas touch", claimed he could make a fortune for clients by trading in diamonds, wine and carbon credits, tradeable certificates in rights to emit carbon dioxide.

The 24-year-old compared himself to Jordan Belfort, the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street.

He posted photos of flash cars, casino chips, holidays, a Rolex watch, wads of cash and of himself smoking cigars while enjoying champagne.

Burgoyne claimed to operate from an office in central London to lure clients into his scheme, but in reality lived with his mother in Folkestone, Kent, and was a former trainee butcher.

Canterbury Crown Court heard on Tuesday how Burgoyne conned 18 friends and clients out of £80,000, including one victim who lost £33,000.

Burgoyne told his "clients" that he could make handsome profits from trading in carbon credits, fine wine and diamonds through his firms Elite Broker Company and Elite Commodity Markets.

Carbon credits are tradeable certificates, part of the Green Economy aimed at reducing emissions, which allow firms to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide, which can be sold for cash.

The court heard how Burgoyne, who has an NVQ in business studies, had been "living the high life", going on foreign holidays, splashing out on flash watches and cars - as well as enjoying a champagne lifestyle.

Prosecutor Jim Harvey told how his victims were conned into thinking they were investing in wine or in diamonds or the carbon credit market, but that Burgoyne paid himself nearly £60,000, while investing just £10,000.

A sports car

Burgoyne posted pictures of his lavish lifestyle on social media

Anthony Abell, defending, told the court: "He never went to university but has one NVQ in business studies and he has been living with his mother as a lodger.

"As a teenager he began working at a butchers and intended to make his way in that trade.

"He was a rather ambitious young man who was dazzled by all the glamour he saw around him. But he is genuinely sorry for all his lies which he made to close deals", the Kent Messenger reported.

An expensive Rolex watch

An expensive Rolex watch

Judge Simon James, in jailing Burgoyne for two years after he was found guilty of 18 fraud charges, pointed to photos on Burgoyne's Facebook page showing him "enjoying a champagne lifestyle".

He told him: "Clearly this was indicative of him having spent considerable amounts on a lavish lifestyle.

Burgoyne posing with a huge bottle of champagne

Burgoyne posing with a huge bottle of champagne

"This was a sophisticated deception in which just £10,000 of the £80,000 you received was actually invested... and even then not in anything which would produce proper returns for the investors."

Police found a diamond worth £1,500 and wine worth more than £2,100 at his business premises in Folkestone - as well as nearly £30,000 in one of his bank accounts.

Wads of cash

Burgoyne, who bragged about looking like DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street on Facebook and posted a photo of the Hollywood star with a glass of champagne, was banned from being a company director for seven years.

In one posting on Facebook, he wrote: "Few people only dream to do what I have achieved there's rise and falls but no one can say I ain't lived to the max."