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Woman denies luxury fraud charges | Woman denies luxury fraud charges |
(about 4 hours later) | |
A 52-year-old "prolific fraudster" has gone on trial accused of fraudulently obtaining paintings, jewellery and antiques worth thousands of pounds. | |
Shahra Marsh is alleged to have duped nine jewellers, fashion houses and auctioneers in Paris over two years. | |
Ms Marsh denied 23 charges of fraud and concealing goods when she appeared at Southwark Crown Court. | |
She allegedly did not pay for goods she had bid for and which were shipped to London before the firms realised. | |
Among the items she is accused of obtaining are silverware worth more than £20,000 from French silversmiths Odiot. | |
Personal trust | |
All the alleged offences took place between May 2005 and July 2007. | |
The prosecution said she followed a pattern of gaining the trust of the auction houses either in person or through letters. | |
She would bid for items, usually by phone, and then arrange shipment to addresses in London, with cheques sent to cover the bill. | |
Paris auction house Tajan received a cheque for £114,800 to cover the cost of items including a Luis XV commode, five paintings and diamond-encrusted jewellery, the court was told. | |
A month later - after the goods had been sent to Ms Marsh - the cheque allegedly bounced, but Tajan could not get hold of her. | |
Chief prosecutor Sonal Dashani said Ms Marsh had "dishonestly obtained high-class items" over a "substantial period of time". | |
Jewellers and auctioneers | |
Miss Dashani added: "Shahra Marsh is a prolific fraudster." | |
One auction house Giafferi went as far as sending a store representative to London to personally deliver sapphire, diamond and emerald jewellery to Ms Marsh, the court heard. | |
The charges relate to nine different jewellers and auction houses in Paris, some of which were targeted more than once, it was alleged. | |
The prosecution said cheques worth more than £210,000 had allegedly bounced after goods were shipped to Ms Marsh. | |
Ms Marsh said the items found in a storage unit in the City of London had been misidentified as belonging to the auction house. | |
On other occasions goods were sent to her incorrectly or the firms made a mistake on the invoice resulting in her cancelling payment, she said | |
The trial continues. | The trial continues. |
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