A "broke" businessman who took over a struggling lower-league football club after lying about his personal wealth has been jailed for fraud.
John Russell, 51, of Brighouse, claimed he had substantial funds to invest in Exeter City FC before he was appointed chairman in May 2002.
He even made pop sensation Michael Jackson an honorary director of the club and spoon-bender Uri Geller vice-chairman in a bid to raise the club's profile.
But in reality, the club's supposed saviour had no cash and no assets to plough into the Devon team which was already severely in debt.
Russell, who was jailed for 21 months, and his deputy, Michael Lewis, desperately attempted to keep the club going despite going further into the red during their first and only season in charge.
Debts went unpaid, cheques bounced and money ringfenced for the club's academy and community projects were illegally transferred by the club, Bristol Crown Court was told.
The two men continued trading despite knowing the club was insolvent and unable to repay loans.
They left Exeter £4.5 million in debt and on the brink of extinction.
Russell, of Cannon Hall Close, Brighouse, pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading and obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception.
Lewis, 65, of Loughor Road, Gorseinon, Swansea, also admitted fraudulent trading, but was sentenced to 200 hours of community work after the judge accepted he played a lesser role in the scam.
In sentencing Russell, Judge David Ticehurst told him that he had betrayed the club's football fans and treated it as his own personal domain.
"You wanted to be the club's financial saviour or white knight even though you knew that was quite impossible," he said.
"The deception could be seen in your conduct at the club when you sent personal guarantees knowing you did not have the financial means to meet them."
The court heard the two men took over the club in May 2002. Russell was to provide the much-needed financial investment and commercial know-how, while Lewis, the former chairman of Swansea City, was the "football man" who would use his contacts and expertise to help the club.
But the new regime was built on a lie. Russell, who left the same position at Scarborough after the Yorkshire club went into administration, had claimed he owned a hotel, property and businesses which would help transform the club's fortunes.
Paul Dunkels, prosecuting, said: "He was broke. He had no assets, no money and no bank account and certainly had no money to invest in Exeter City."
Russell offered his directors generous personal guarantees over existing debts and liabilities, which were in fact "worthless", the court heard.
Russell effectively dispensed with board meetings, as the other directors were sidelined.
Cheques began bouncing, loans were not being repaid and creditors were soon getting nervous, the court heard.
Russell and Lewis continued to offer assurances that everything was fine and appeared to ignore a series of warnings about the club's impending insolvency.
The court was told they moved money from accounts to buy themselves time and told banks that money would be deposited within hours, but never materialised.
During their ill-fated period in charge, pop superstar Michael Jackson was made an honorary director of the club, and visited the club's St James Park with his friend Uri Geller, who was appointed vice chairman.
But even that proved a failure as the PR events made a loss.
Russell admitted that by September 2002 he realised the club was insolvent and was now trading illegally. Lewis, who previously worked at Spurs, Reading and Cardiff, claimed he was only aware of the club's dire financial position in March 2003.
Despite the mounting debts, both men paid themselves "expenses" and generous consultancy fees, while Mr Russell's wife Gillian was one of the few creditors to be paid back. Both men also charged the club for their rents and even found positions for their family at the business. Lewis later told police that "half of the clubs" in the football league were trading illegally after going bust.
Both men blamed the previous regime for the club's position and said it was effectively bankrupt when they took it over.
When asked by police what he had brought to the club, Russell told them: "Expertise."
The supporters' trust took over the club and agreed to pay back 7p in the pound to creditors, leaving dozens of businesses and individuals hundreds of thousands of pounds out of pocket.
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