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Embarrassed footballer Richard Rufus has been instructed to repay merely £372,740 out of the £9 million he defrauded from his family and friends through a pyramid scheme.
The former Charlton Athletic player, now 49, was sentenced to seven and a half years in 2023 after deceiving his loved ones into investing in a fraudulent get-rich-quick initiative.
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Southwark Crown Court revealed yesterday that Rufus had swindled a total of £9,388,112.99 from his family and friends.
However, the court required him to return only £372,740.20, reflecting the total of his remaining assets.
Pretending to be a foreign exchange trader, he convinced friends to invest in his scheme, falsely asserting that football stars like Rio Ferdinand were also involved.
Rather than investing the money, he spent the funds on a luxury Bentley, a Rolex watch, and an extravagant mansion.
The once affluent player now possesses only £372,740.20, which he is obligated to return to his victims.
Rufus tried to defend his expenditures, claiming he required the funds to uphold his extravagant lifestyle.
However, Judge Dafna Spiro noted that he had significantly inflated his living expenses.
She stated: “I do not find him to be a credible witness.
“I do not consider these expenses to be reasonable – while such a lifestyle might be expected of a Premier League footballer.
“I believe he is not being truthful to the court.”
My aunt formed an acquaintance with a man on a bus who forged her will & paid drug addicts to ‘witness’ it, scheming my family out of £350k
He is required to repay the amount by March of next year or risk an additional three years in prison.
Judge Dafna also mentioned: “I am issuing a confiscation order – which will be allocated to victims as presented to the court by the Crown.
“We will provide the court with a victim schedule and the corresponding amounts for each.
“This confiscation order relates to Mr. Rufus following his conviction for his crimes in 2022.
“I am convinced he will be unable to make this payment today, necessitating repayment by 12 March 2025.”
Should he fail to pay, he will face an additional three years and nine months in prison, to be served consecutively with his current sentence.
During the peak of his fraudulent operation, the ex-footballer squandered £200,000 on luxury cars.
He also blew thousands on shopping and fine dining at upscale restaurants.
At the same time, his only legitimate income was £850 a month from renting out his property in Surrey.
Rufus misled investors by promising them the return of their original investment within 14 days of their request.
He accumulated over £15 million in total, repaying some of this to earlier investors to keep the fraud going.
His scheme continued even after the Financial Services Authority froze his accounts in 2011.
Charlton legend Rufus earned six England caps during his career.
He spent his entire career at Charlton, making 288 appearances since debuting in 1994 at age 19.
His first goal came during the club’s historic win over Sunderland in the 1998 play-off final at Wembley.
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