Bankrupt Businessman Jailed For Raiding Parents' Bank Accounts

Jailed: Giuseppe Masella

A former bankrupt businessman, who looted his dead mother’s bank accounts of £48,000 before targeting his octogenarian father’s £33,000 savings, has been jailed.

Giuseppe Masella, 48, of St. Dunstan’s Road, Hammersmith emptied his mother’s account just three weeks after her death, leaving only £10 for his father, Isleworth Crown Court heard.

Two years later he opened an internet account in his father Antonio’s name without permission and in two weeks drained it of cash.

Masella denied, but was convicted of two counts of fraud and one count of transferring criminal property regarding his mother’s account in March, 2015.

He was also convicted of two count’s of fraud and one transferring criminal property regarding his father’s account between February and June, 2017.

His greed has split the family with his two brothers taking different sides in the bitter dispute.

“The jury found you guilty after a two week trial of the deliberate and fraudulent looting of your mother and father’s savings accounts,” Recorder Joseph Boothby told Masella.

Sentencing his to eight months imprisonment he told Masella: “You did this in a cruel and calculating way, taking advantage of your father’s trust and lack of understanding of english over a two-year period.

Betrayed: Antonio Masella

“He was living with you, all of his interests in his other houses being extinguished by your actions.

“You never apologised, co-operated or engaged and were repeatedly evasive until the end of the trial.

“Your conduct cannot be so easily forgiven.”   

Prosecutor Mr. Tyrone Silcott told the trial: “In 2015 and 2017 this defendant took money out of his parents’ accounts without permission.”

Masella’s mother Anna, who had three sons, died on March 5, 2015.

“By March 28 all of her savings, apart from £10, had been transferred out of her account,” said the prosecutor.

“In December of that year Antonio went to the Nationwide so he could share the money amongst his three sons, including Giuseppe who is the oldest, but found it had all gone, save that £10.

“All of those transfers had been made by this defendant and all of them were made dishonestly.

“The defendant and his family moved in with Antonio after the death of Anna. He had previously been made bankrupt, but this was lifted in 2015.

“A new Nationwide online account in his father’s name was opened in 2017, which the prosecution say is a fake account and Antonio will tell you someone else opened it.

“That was a fake account set up online to syphon money away from his father.

“The defendant has dishonestly moved money out of his parents’ accounts to his own by making dishonest false representations to the bank.”

The money represented the life savings of Masella’s mother and father and in his victim impact statement Antonio said not only he was effected, but also his two other sons.

Masella’s lawyer Mr. Benjamin Waidhofer told the court: “There is not a pot of money floating around with tens of thousands of pounds available.

“How can he pay anything if he is in custody? He can’t, but he can if he is in the community.

“His defence always was that he had permission and he says the last two years have been a living hell.

“He is the main breadwinner for his family and has three children aged nine, seven and three and the trial sadly set one brother against the other and the father.

“He became tearful when explaining the circumstances regarding his children who want to see their grandfather and uncle.”

The prosecution have indicated they will pursue Masella for financial compensation under the Proceeds of Crime Act.