James Charles. Photo: Sussex Police
James Charles, 49, the owner of Olympia Mayfair and National Gold Buyers, was jailed for 12 years at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday 12 November. Sussex Police says he scammed victims out of more than £1.2 million between August 2022 and 2024, and more than £2 million once offences linked to two further companies are counted.
Charles, of Southwick and also known as James Goatley, was convicted of four counts of fraudulent trading. We reported the conviction in October: Jewellery fraud company owner convicted at Southwark Crown Court.
How the fraud worked
Police say Charles presented Olympia Mayfair as an established specialist service for reselling and repairing high-value jewellery, watches and precious metals. He had the company listed on a trusted website and paid search engines to rank it highly, so that visitors would trust it.
Visitors were asked to fill in a pre-service questionnaire listing the valuable items they wanted to sell or have repaired. Charles then contacted them and arranged to meet. He rented an office to look legitimate, but met some victims at their homes.
At those meetings he persuaded people to hand over their items on the understanding that they would be paid once the items were sold or repaired, with Charles taking only a small commission. Many victims received only a small fraction of the money promised, or nothing at all.
Arrests, a second company and more charges
- 11 February 2024: Charles was arrested after dozens of reports. He was bailed while officers carried out extensive enquiries.
- Back to offending: police say he showed no remorse and set up a new company, National Gold Buyers, to defraud more victims.
- 30 August 2024: he was arrested again, six months after the first arrest.
- 27 February 2026: the Sussex Police Economic Crime Unit charged him with 24 counts of fraud by false representation and two counts of money laundering across both companies. After further legal hearings these were combined into four counts of fraudulent trading.
Charles was remanded in custody before a trial due to start on 5 October and last six weeks. On 12 October he pleaded guilty to the four counts of fraudulent trading, and the following day a jury convicted him of the same offences. The judge ordered that the two money laundering offences lie on the file. He was returned to custody to await sentencing.
Two more companies
It can now be reported that Charles also committed a further count of fraudulent trading and one count of fraud by false representation, linked to two other companies, Kingsley & Co Private Trader Ltd and Richmond & Sterling Ltd. Police say he set them up while he was under investigation. Including those offences, he defrauded victims of more than £2 million. They were taken into consideration at sentencing.
What the investigating officer said
The scale of harm Charles has caused to numerous victims cannot be understated.
Detective Constable Graham Gray, the officer in charge of the investigation, said Charles' crimes were premeditated, prolific and unremorseful, and that he carried on offending through new companies as soon as he was able. He added that victims suffered not only financial loss but a devastating emotional impact, and that the sentence reflects the expanse and severity of the offending.
Source: Sussex Police, published 12 November 2026.
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