Two men from London have today (15 March 2013) been jailed for their parts in blackmailing a City trader after a supposed oil deal that was being brokered collapsed.Joseph Fontan, aged 34 and from Fulham, was jailed for 11 and a half years. He had denied blackmail but was found guilty of three charges last week by an Old Bailey jury.His associate, Gurdal Sherifali, known as ‘Tony’, aged 39 and from South Wimbledon, was jailed for two years after he admitted one count of blackmail at an earlier hearing.The pair were caught in a City of London Police sting operation after Fontan and Sherifali’s victims had contacted officers.The Old Bailey had heard that Fontan had told those he tried to involve in his deal that he had access to three million barrels of oil stored on a tanker that was recovered from pirates by Special Forces personnel. Fontan told the interested parties he was ex-Spanish Naval Special Forces.City of London Police detectives from the force’s Major Investigation Team investigated the crime.They found no evidence that the events Fontan described had taken place, only that Fontan had served with the Spanish Navy, though not Special Forces.The deal collapsed when Fontan failed to provide any proof to the interested buyers of the existence of the oil. The jury had heard that Fontan then changed his tactics and started intimidating and making threats against three men, supported by Sherifali. This started happening in June 2011.The court was told that Fontan threatened one victim that unless he paid him £25,000 he would break his legs and bury him in Essex.The victim was unable to secure the funds and turned to his brother, who contacted police after recording a phone conversation in which Fontan made further threats.Police discovered a third victim who had already paid money to Fontan and Sherifali.A/Det Supt Dave Evans said after the sentencing: ‘Fontan and his associate Sherifali used charm and the promise of a potentially lucrative oil deal to interest his victims. But when Fontan was unable to produce any evidence to support his story he took to using intimidation and threats of violence in an attempt to extort money from his victims. The seriousness of their crime is reflected in their sentences.’Fontan was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for the first count of blackmail and seven years for the second count, which will run consecutively to the first count. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment for the third count, which will run concurrently to counts one and two.
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