Posted by July 22, 2024
In a significant development for singer Kerry Katona, her former accountant, David Williams, admitted to multiple fraud offenses at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Williams, also known as David McHugh, pleaded guilty to four counts of deception and charges of falsely operating as an insolvency practitioner and qualified barrister. He will be sentenced in October.
A history of deceit
Kerry Katona shared her relief on Instagram after the court proceedings, stating she lost everything due to Williams’ deceit. David Williams, 67, changed his plea to guilty before his October trial, marking a key development in the case. The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) began investigating his activities in May 2020, revealing extensive fraudulent practices.
This is the man who put me in my first bankruptcy back behind bars again I see!!!!!!!!!!! I lost everything because of this man con artist!
Kerry Katona, English television personality and former singer.
David Williams, an Englishman, managed two businesses and collected around €1.2m from over 1,500 clients. He offered legal services on Facebook, including immigration, divorce, and injury cases, charging between €500 and €1,500. The investigation started when a client became suspicious of slow progress on their case. Additionally, a woman arrested for money-laundering in October 2020 will also face sentencing in October.
The impact on Kerry Katona
Fifteen years ago, David Williams began managing Kerry Katona’s finances, which eventually led to her bankruptcy and a subsequent filing in 2013. Katona was initially declared bankrupt at the High Court in London on August 21, 2008, after failing to pay £82,000 of a £417,000 tax bill. She filed for bankruptcy a second time in 2013 at the County Court in Wigan, attributing it to Williams’ mismanagement.
On Instagram, Katona shared how devastated she was during her first bankruptcy due to Williams’ actions. She explained on the On a Mission podcast with Ellie McKay, “My first bankruptcy, I was devastated. I didn’t even know what bankruptcy was – it was my accountant who stole my money. He went to jail for it, but I never got my money back.”
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