A champagne-loving rookie hotel boss who stole guests’ credit card details and ran up a £14,000 bar bill at an exclusive Mayfair club during a spending spree that left American Express £100,000 out of pocket has been jailed for 18 months.
Private-school educated Saad Lakhdar-Ghazal, 23, began working at the luxury Durley House Hotel, Sloane Street, Knightsbridge, on July 1, last year and copied multiple credit card numbers until he left on October 28.
He then moved to the Queens Hotel, Bayswater and had access to an apartment in Beaufort Mansions, Beaufort Street, Chelsea.
When arrested by City of London Police outside a nightclub in Cavendish Square, Marylebone, on December 13, Lakhdar-Ghazal told officers he was living in North Mews, Chancery Lane, Holborn.
The French-Moroccan, (pictured) whose shocked parents – both doctors – offered £25,000 bail to get their son out of jail following his arrest remained lock-up due to fears he would abscond.
“You were sucked into this world of greed to have fun,” Southwark Crown Court Judge John Price told the defendant. “Well, the party’s over.
“You got a job at a leading hotel and worked in management and got your hands on information relating to people’s credit cards and fell in with a dishonest high-living group of people and you gave them information.
“It all went on high-living, girls, drinking, clubs and you spent large sums. Nothing was obtained, but a good time and it has all gone.”
Lakhdar-Ghazal pleaded guilty that on November 22, at the British Luxury Club, New Bond Street, he falsely represented he was entitled to use an American Express number to pay a £5522.50 bill for thirteen bottles of champagne.
He also pleaded guilty that on November 28, at the same club, he used another Amex number to pay bills of £2660 and £6000.
Lakhdar-Ghazal also admitted possessing a counterfeit American Express card, details of seventeen bank accounts on bits of paper and details of another fifty-four on his mobile phone, in connection with fraud on December 13.
He also admitted fraud at Durley House Hotel, namely obtaining bank details and falsely representing to Eurostar he was entitled to use a card to pay a £572.00 fare.
A search of his Queens Hotel room revealed Amex card numbers which had run up charges of another £85,000, plus attempts totaling £26,000.
Lakhdar-Ghazal insists his spending totaled only £15,000, but accepts associates used numbers he supplied to spend £85,000 at other top private members clubs, luxury retailer Luis Vuitton, Noura Brasserie and Piccadilly’s Moroccan Momo restaurant.
One of the victims is movie tough-guy Dolph Lundgren.
He attended a hotel management course in Marbella, Spain, and the Durley House management internship was his first job in the U.K.
Prosecutor Mr. Stephen Winberg told the court Lakhdar-Ghazal convinced the British Luxury Club his father was phoning him card details to pay the huge bar bill, but on all three occasions he was using victims’ details.
His collection of bankcard details included numbers, expiry dates and the three-digit ccv security code.
“He began to associate with gentlemen who were indulging in a lavish lifestyle and saw an opportunity that led him down a road resulting in disappointment for him and his family,” said Miss Rachel Ramez, defending.
“He noted down numbers and his benefit was several very expensive nights out. The cards were used much wider by other people, but he admitted he started the ball rolling.
“He is embarrassed and ashamed he went after a lifestyle of this sort at such cost,” added Miss Ramez. “All he wants to do is return home with his family. He is struggling being apart from them.”
DI Richard Fisher, head of the cheque and credit card unit at City of London Police said: "Today's sentencing is the result of hard work by our officers and again sends out a clear message that criminals will not be allowed to get away with credit card fraud "
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