It has been revealed that Peter Connelly, a composer known for his work in the video game space, specifically on the Tomb Raider franchise, is being jailed for a 16-month term after being found guilty for a Covid-related fraud scheme.
Connelly was investigated by the Insolvency Service in the UK for wrongly claiming a second Bounce Back Loan worth £37,500 in 2020 after overstating his company's turnover during the pandemic, following claiming £22,000 the month before.
According to a press release, Connelly claimed his company's turnover was £150,000 in 2019, when in fact it was significantly less at £58,000. This meant that the second loan was not within the rules of the scheme that was set in place at the time, even if the first loan he took out was. Connelly even went as far as to falsely declare he had taken out more than one loan.
As for what Connelly was working on, he told the Insolvency Service that he was engaged on a "re-imagining" of a soundtrack for a Tomb Raider project, and that this was described as a "significant project which had the potential to be very lucrative". However, the pandemic saw this stall and Connelly even sold his car and took out personal loans to stay afloat. His company then went into liquidation in August 2021, with neither loan being paid back.
Based in Lambton Court, Peterlee, Connelly was jailed yesterday, July 17, for the 16-month sentence after the Durham Crown Court ruled him guilty of fraud. He has also been disqualified as the director of his company, formerly known as Universal Sound Design and then as Peter Connelly Limited, for the next six years.
David Snasdell, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service provided a statement.
"Peter Connelly blatantly disregarded the rules of the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, designed to support small and medium-sized businesses during the pandemic.
"Connelly not only secured two loans when businesses were only allowed one, but deliberately inflated his company's turnover to receive more money than he was entitled to.
"The Insolvency Service is the lead agency for tackling Bounce Back Loan misconduct and we remain committed to ensuring fraudsters who stole from the public purse during a national emergency are brought to justice."
It's unclear what Tomb Raider project Connelly was working on at the turn of the 2020s.