Bradford woman Jolene Capuvanno in prison for fraud

Jolene Capuvanno was said to have been on “a campaign of fraud” when she targeted her victims, often lone women, in the car parks of supermarkets, petrol stations, and fast-food restaurants, and begged them for money.

Some of the victims said they felt “intimidated” and “pressured” into handing over money when 35-year-old Capuvanno got into the passenger seat of their cars as part of her well-rehearsed sob story.

She has now been locked up for 16 months at Bradford Crown Court for what was described as a “sophisticated, well-planned, and sustained” scam that preyed on people’s goodwill.

The case was heard at Bradford Crown Court

'It's harm and trespass to the public goodwill' 

Sentencing Capuvanno, of Burnham Avenue, Bierley, Bradford, Assistant Judge Advocate General Thomas Mitchell said: “The harm here is not just money. The harm here is in the corrosion of faith.

“These are difficult times. There are lots of people out there who do need help … and who sometimes have to ask other people - maybe that they know only slightly or don’t know at all - for some help, and that help is extended to them.

“The thing is that that help won’t be extended if they think that, in fact, there’s no proper need out there and all they are is being abused.

“That’s the harm here: it’s the harm and trespass to the public goodwill.”

No money was ever refunded by Capuvanno 

Prosecutor Zaiban Alam said Capuvanno’s trickery took place between December 20, 2023, and May 13, 2024, at sites across the Bradford district including Sainsbury’s on Harrogate Road and at McDonalds in Shipley.

The ruse involved her approaching people in car parks, feigning being upset, and lying that her card had been taken by an ATM.

She claimed she would not be able to get a replacement for several days and that she was speaking to the bank at that moment.

A male voice purporting to be from the bank is thought to have been an accomplice.

Capuvanno would beg for money from the cash point to buy baby formula for her four-month-old baby and reassure the victim that it would be repaid via bank transfer within hours.

On at least two occasions she was said to have “sped off quickly” once money had been handed over.

However, no money was ever refunded despite Capuvanno showing her passport and leaving her mobile number with victims, with them later messaging or calling her asking for the cash to be returned.

She would make excuses about the delays and on one occasion replied: “It’s a civil matter now. F*** off.”

'I won't help anyone again' - victim 

In a victim statement read to the court one woman said she felt “angry and stupid” that she had been taken advantage of as well as “panicked” because Capuvanno had her bank details.

She added: “I felt sorry for her, but I feel I can’t trust people anymore.”

Another victim, who was pregnant when she fell for Capuvanno’s lies, said the scam had “made her feel stupid, adding: “I try to do the best for humanity and will help anyone in need. Now I will not help anyone again no matter how genuine I believe they are.

“I was more upset by the fact that this woman knew I was expecting a child myself and still did this knowing the position I was in.”

Over six months Capuvanno conned people out of various sums, ranging from £30 to £80. The total she succeeded in scamming was £480.

Capuvanno was arrested on June 1 after handing herself in. The court heard she had previous convictions for dishonesty and theft.

She pleaded guilty to nine counts of fraud by misrepresentation, the majority of which were committed whilst she was subject to a 12-month suspended prison sentence.

Mitigating, Rachel Webster said Capuvanno, who appeared via video link from HMP New Hall, had been “drug dependent” at the time of her fraud, which she described as “the fuel of her offending”.

She said Capuvanno, a mother to five children, had mental health issues, severe depression, anxiety, and ADHD, but was “genuinely remorseful” and “eager and willing to change”.

Judge described offending as a 'campaign of fraud' 

Sentencing Capuvanno to six months imprisonment for each offence, to run concurrently, and activating 10 months of the suspended sentence, Assistant Judge Advocate General Mitchell said she had been engaged on “a campaign of fraud”.

He added: “Over an extended period and, fairly obviously to me, with some help from somebody else, you were busy effectively looking for money from these people and really throwing yourself on their mercy.

“Their mercy and goodwill was extended to you on nine separate occasions. Nine different people who you didn’t know and had never met before.

“They went out of their way to help you by giving you small sums of money that they expected to be given back.

“On each and every one of those occasions you trespassed on their goodwill.”