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Darren Gough ‘loses £1m in Ponzi rip-off'
By Mark Blunden, London Lite Last updated at 13:12pm on 22.07.09Television reality star and ex-England cricketer Darren Gough has become the latest celebrity to be caught up in a £80m “Bernie Madoff-style” scam.
“Devastated”: TV star and ex-cricketer Darren Gough
The retired fast bowler and his family are thought to have lost almost £1m after being conned by a sophisticated fraud gang.
Gough, who sprang to non-sports fame after winning Strictly Come Dancing in 2005, is among several celebrities swindled in the alleged Ponzi get-rich-quick scheme. They include a “household name” Sixties pop star.
Yesterday it was revealed England batsman Kevin Pietersen was approached to invest but turned down the offer. Gough is said to be devastated after learning his money had disappeared.
Sources close to the 38-year-old said he had invested a large sum of money just weeks before the Financial Services Authority launched its investigation.
The family of Gough's former wife Anna has also reportedly lost hundreds of thousands of pounds in the scheme. A member of Gough's family confirmed he and brother-in-law Paul Kratovil, 42, were said to be among those hit.
The Ponzi pyramid scheme is believed to be similar to that of jailed Wall Street broker Bernard Madoff. Police think victims were promised returns of up to 13 per cent a month. The fraud was detected when payments were missed and clients alerted the authorities.
Alleged mastermind Kautilya Nandan Pruthi, 38, was arrested for a second time by police this week. Investigators suspect Pruthi's Knightsbridge company conned over 600 investors.
