A group of immigration officers have been charged over alleged thefts from migrants.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has confirmed six immigration officers have been charged with various offences including conspiracy to steal and misconduct in public office following allegations that they stole property from migrants and laundered money.
Besmir Matera, Lee-Ann Evanson, John Bernthal, Ben Edwardes, Jack Mitchell, and David Grundy have been charged following a Home Office investigation between August 2021 and November 2022.
All six defendants will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on January 29, 2026.
Head of the CPS Special Crime Division Malcolm McHaffie said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute Besmir Matera, 36, Lee-Ann Evanson, 42, John Bernthal, 53, Ben Edwardes, 45, Jack Mitchell, 33, and David Grundy, 43, following a Home Office investigation into thefts from migrants and money laundering between August 2021 and November 2022.
“Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.
“We have worked closely with the Home Office’s Anti-Corruption Criminal Investigations Unit as they carried out their investigation.”
A spokesman from the CPS added: “We remind all concerned that proceedings against these suspects are active and that they have the right to a fair trial. It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings.”
The men are set to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court
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PA