West London financial crime specialist who operated as a loan shark is sentenced

A 58-year-old man from West London who worked as a qualified anti-money laundering specialist but also ran an illegal money lending operation, has been handed a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years.

Dharmendra Devji Solanki admitted charges of illegal lending and money laundering and appeared before Inner London Crown Court to be sentenced on Friday, June 27, 2025. The case was prosecuted by the England Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) in partnership with Ealing Council Trading Standards and the Metropolitan Police.

Passing sentence, the Judge, Recorder Shauna Ritchie told him: “You were, prior to these offences, a man of good character and knew more than most.”

She said he took advantage of the borrowers and their insecurities and added: “You were fully trained in relation to financial crime. The business you engaged in survived by lending money to the financially vulnerable.”

The court heard that the interest charged was unpredictable and that borrowers were pressured and intimidated.

In passing sentence, the Judge added that it was “fair to say that you have lost a great deal yourself, as a result of this offending” with it affecting his employment, family and mental health. She added: “I accept that you are genuinely remorseful for your conduct.”

Solanki was sentenced to eight months’ jail for illegal money lending and 16 months for money laundering, to run consecutively. The total two-year sentence was suspended for two years. He was also ordered to complete five days of rehabilitation activity, as directed by the Probation Service, and 120 hours of unpaid work.

The court heard the defendant was arrested at his home in Bradley Gardens, West Ealing, in May 2022 following an operation by the IMLT. An Apple MacBook was seized at the time, which contained a CV in his name, showing he was ‘Financial Crime CAMS Qualified’ and listed the professional body Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists. CAMS stands for Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist.

Mr Simon Mortimer, prosecuting on behalf of the IMLT, told the court: “It is clear from the qualifications and professional experiences listed within this document that he is well-versed in all matters relating to offences of money laundering and would clearly have had knowledge of the illegality of his actions providing unregulated loans.”

The court heard that Solanki worked as a money laundering reporting officer but never had the required authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to lend money.

Copies of his bank account statements showed entries which indicated a money lending business, with regular amounts being credited or debited. Eight spreadsheets were found with column headers including ‘loan’ and ‘interest’.

Mr Mortimer said one borrower said she needed to send money to family members in the Philippines. She borrowed £1,000 and repaid in three instalments of £450, a total of £1,350. She was required to hand over her passport.

Another borrowed money but struggled to repay and then Solanki’s messages became threatening. One stated: “I am now ready to collect the outstanding balance on your loan. You need to advise urgently your position before I get others involved who will then take up this matter and write you personally.”

A later message said: “If this goes into the hands of another lender then I’m afraid this could get very embarrassing for you and the additional charges will be passed onto you.’”

Another borrower had a loan for £10,000 which was to be repaid in four monthly payments of £3,000 adding up to £12,000.

Solanki then asked for it to be repaid within three months and when the borrower gave his first indication that he was struggling to repay, Solanki added £333 to the total.

When the issue continued, Solanki messaged saying: “It’s about trust and I’ll keep adding interest and then you’ll not be in a good position.” A later message said: “I want 5k on Monday, you have 48 hours. If you let me down I will sell your debt and they will charge you twice as much.”

Another message stated: “You better get this to me today otherwise you have no idea how much this will impact you personally and your career.”

The IMLT investigation showed Solanki was operating an unauthorised credit business between November 2018 and his arrest in 2022.

Mr Mortimer said analysis of banking records and documents seized during the investigation by the IMLT found Solanki had made loans in excess of £400,000 and charged interest rates between 10 and 20 per cent. The estimated return on the loans was at least £440,000 to £480,000.

Borrowers were mainly from the Filippino community.

Speaking after the hearing, Dave Benbow, head of the IMLT, a national organisation hosted by Birmingham City Council, said: “Many illegal money lenders are well known within their communities and are introduced to borrowers through friends. They can appear to be a friend doing a favour, but in fact they are exploiting the vulnerable and can use threats and intimidation to force people to pay.

“The lender in this case knew he was acting unlawfully but continued to lend money. We welcome this sentence and would urge anyone who thinks they have borrowed from an illegal lender to contact us in confidence for expert help and advice.”

Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, added: “Our trading standards team is committed to working with the IMLT to support victims and ensure illegal money lenders feel the full force of the law. Through the investigation process and prosecutions, these cases won’t be taken lightly. You can help your friends and family by looking out for any suspicious behaviour or signs that show they may be in debt to a loan shark. If you suspect that someone you know is being exploited, make sure you report it.”

Anyone who has been affected by illegal money lending should call the Stop Loan Sharks 24/7 Helpline on 0300 555 2222 or access support online at www.stoploansharks.co.uk. Live Chat is available on the website from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

A POCA timetable was set.