THREE BIG SWINDLES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 18, 22 January 1926, Page 7

THREE BIG SWINDLES.

SIX YEARS IN GAOL FIFTY-ONE CHARGES. PUBLIC ROBBED OF £500,000. (By Cable.—PreM Association. —Copyright.) (Received 31.30 a.m.) LONDON, January 21. Three brothers. Alexis, Walter and ! Henry Mundeville have ertcli l>cen sen- j tenced to six years nenal servitude on 51 charges of conspiracy to obtain large sums of money by false pretences. They i pleaded guilty to twelve charges. The prosecution said that the brothers through advertisements, circulars, and < the newspaper "The Financial Mail," which Alexis edited, and in connection with which he formed a company, in-1 duced the public to buy stocks and ; shares. The" company in 1010 showed ai loss of £.30.n06: nevertheless they declared a dividend of 30 per cent from j the money paid by subsequent sub- ; scribers. \ During the years from 191S to 1021 the Mandevilles received from the public £511.800. of which £31.200 was paid to the "Mail" Company. The balance was misappropriated to their own use. All the brothers maintained expensive establishments. It was also recalled that j the Mandevilles'.''bucket shops" failed in j 1909 with liabilities totalling £424.000 | and assets amounting to £60. It is , impossible to say the extent to which the public has been defrauded in the present case, but £500.000 would be a modest estimate. — ("Sun.") —■-—■— i