The trusted treasurer at a prestigious private members’ club has been jailed after defrauding it out of more than half a million pounds.
Alfonso Gabriel Ramirez, 45, of Cambeys Road, Dagenham, pleaded guilty to raiding the accounts at East India Club, whose members include Ukip leader Nigel Farage and Sebastian Coe.
Yesterday he was sentenced to three years at Southwark Crown Court after he stole £553,129 to fund a serious gambling habit.
Detective constable Russell Farmer said he was a “trusted and well-treated employee” who breached the trust of the East India Club by stealing.
He added: “[Yesterday’s] sentence reflects this breach of trust and serves as a further deterrent to others in similar positions.”
Ramirez was arrested on suspicion of theft employee after Westminster Crime Unit received allegations of fraud from the club in January 2014.
He was charged in July and pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court that same month.
The offences were alleged to have been committed over a four year period at the 19th century club in London’s exclusive St James’s Square.
The club boasts 66 bedrooms and charges annual fees of up to £985 for its 5,200 members.
It also offers a library and a billiards room and past members have included the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and Denis Thacther.
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