A married British Army Quartermaster who fraudulently siphoned off nearly £500,000 worth of military supplies to support his lavish lifestyle and impress his mistress has been sentenced to three years in prison. Jed Charlot, 45, was convicted of fraud after misusing his Ministry of Defence (MoD) laptop to place over 600 unauthorized orders for printer cartridges, which he later resold online on eBay.
Charlot, who joined the Army in 2007 and achieved the rank of Quartermaster Sergeant (QMS) with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers based at Tidworth, committed his fraudulent activities between December 2021 and October 2022. According to prosecutor Tom Wilkins, he justified the theft by falsely claiming to his mistress, whom he had been seeing since June 2021, he was wealthy.
The fraudulent endeavors began when Charlot's new partner started demanding luxury holidays, which pressured him to showcase affluence he did not possess. To meet these demands, he created 677 separate orders through his MoD e-mail to purchase printer cartridges from Nottinghamshire-based XMA Limited, incurring losses to taxpayers of £487,919.80. He resold these products primarily to customers in the UK and the United States, realizing £349,120.68 from those sales.
This sprawling fraud was uncovered by fellow Army personnel when they noticed excessive spending on printer supplies, sparking concern about the veracity of the orders. One colleague raised the alarm, leading to internal investigations. When confronted, Charlot initially attempted to deflect suspicion by claiming his accounts had been hacked.
Upon arrest, the police seized valuable items from Charlot's home, including luxurious watches and handbags reportedly procured with the proceeds of his crimes. A particularly incriminatory text message surfaced during the investigation; it read, "Whoa, it’s just money. I can steal more. Calm down, I have stolen £300,000 already, I can steal more... we froze it in case I went to jail." This message highlighted his cavalier attitude toward the theft.
During the trial at Salisbury Crown Court, Charlot’s defense attorney, Mary Cowe, detailed his previous exemplary service and his turbulent mental state, attributing his crime to personal pressures and the desire to maintain the lifestyle he fabricated. Cowe expressed, "There’s evidence of exemplary character. He lived a life dedicated to public service," acknowledging the irony of his actions contrasting sharply with his military reputation.
Judge Rufus Taylor, presiding over the case, commented on the futility of Charlot's deception, emphasizing the pressures he felt from his mistress and the resultant lies he spun about his wealth. "You began having an affair, you told your mistress you were rich, which was not true. You felt pressured," Taylor remarked, capturing the essence of the financial misconduct.
Despite showing remorse, the judge stressed the severity of Charlot’s actions, stating, "You received £349,120.68, and it was clear you spent at least some of the money on luxuries." Charlot will serve at least 14 months of his sentence behind bars before becoming eligible for release.
Following his conviction, Charlot, who has three children, has seen his family life drastically impacted, as his wife now balances their household with support from Universal Credit. Cowe warned of the family’s struggles, noting, "His family’s circumstances are the opposite of what he set out to achieve when he moved from Mauritius. There’s every reason to hope he will emerge from this and go back to being public-spirited."
Charlot's case serves as a cautionary tale about the potential consequences of personal duality, portraying how the search for acceptance and the inclination to impress can lead one down morally indefensible paths, especially within institutions like the military, which holds values of integrity and service above self. His downfall reflects not just individual failings but systemic vulnerabilities within procurement practices and oversight.
His conviction is expected to prompt reassessments of military procurement protocols to prevent future fraud and safeguard taxpayer interests from unscrupulous practices. The broader repercussions of this case will undoubtedly resonate within military and governmental frameworks as they move forward with investigations to reinforce accountability on all levels.