Deep cuts: Londoner's fake vinyl empire sheds light on 'industrial scale' fraud
a day ago
- Rehan Ahmed was jailed for producing and selling counterfeit vinyl records of major artists like Taylor Swift, Coldplay, and Kendrick Lamar.
- He pleaded guilty to two charges: breach of artists' copyright and acquiring/using criminal property, receiving a concurrent sentence of 3.5 years.
- Operating under Phoenix of Vinyl and Paragon Music, he supplied fake records to shops and sold them on eBay and Discogs.
- Police raided his factory in west London, seizing 15,000 records and production equipment valued at around £1 million.
- The investigation, Operation Imatra, revealed a sophisticated operation; Ahmed initially lied about partners but later confessed.
- The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) assisted in the raids and continues to pursue other counterfeit vinyl investigations.