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Former Premier League defender Richard Rufus has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of running a trading scam worth £15 million.
Rufus represented Charlton Athletic 229 times during his career and 99 of those appearances came in the Premier League. However, he was forced into retirement in 2004 after suffering a knee injury.
On December 21, 2022, the 48-year-old was found guilty of fraud, money laundering, and running a regulated activity without authorization by Southwark Crown Court.
According to the Mirror, Rufus claimed that former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand also invested in the scheme.
It was alleged that the only way he could have maintained the "lifestyle of a footballer" was by using the funds of investors in his scheme. Prosecutor Lucy Organ said:
“The only way Richard Rufus could fund his lifestyle was to use the funds he was receiving from the investors as part of the fraud.”
Rufus reportedly received £5 million (out of the total £15 million) from Kingsway International Christian Centre. He was a member of the church and was also a trustee.
Former Charlton and Chelsea defender Paul Elliott was one of the investors in the scheme. He recently said (via Mirror):
“He was clear to say he had made colossal sums of money for his church, for friends and family, And he also said there were other professional [footballer] colleagues he had made substantial funds for.”
The Crown Prosecution Service comments on the Ex-Premier League defender's case
Addressing Rufus' case, Roger Makanjuola of the Crown Prosecution Service recently said (via Sportstar):
“Rufus acted in a selfish manner without any concern for his victims, He took advantage of his status as a professional athlete, a respected church member and he used the goodwill of his family and friends to scam them and associates out of millions of pounds by falsely claiming he was able to offer a low-risk investment in the Foreign Exchange Market.”
Richard Rufus played 99 games in the Premier League for Charlton Athletic and scored six goals in England's top division.
