Sperm donor businessman jailed for fraud

10:53am Wednesday 9th April 2008

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A STUDLEY Green business man - who ran a website selling sperm to lesbians and single women wanting children - has been jailed for 16 months for fraud and forgery.

John Gonzalez, from Wycombe Road, started mannotincluded.com in June 2002, which arranged for fresh sperm to be delivered to prospective mums-to-be.

Women paid £750 to register with the site and a further £80 for three searches on the sperm donor database.

Fresh sperm was then sent out to customers who carried out the insemination themselves. Donors were paid between £50 and £100.

The website enjoyed initial success, but after two-and-a-half years it went into liquidation with debts of more than £220,000.

An investigation by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulation Reform (BERR) found Gonzalez, 45, had lied to officials, forged documents and falsified debts in order to avoid handing over assets when the company and to continue trading under a different name.

He was sentenced to 16 months in prison at Wood Green Crown Court in London yesterday after pleading guilty on February 25, to two counts of fraudulent trading, one of using a false instrument, one of making a false statement on oath and one of misconduct in the course of winding up the company.

Passing sentence Judge Juliet May QC said: "Being a company director is a serious responsibility, people who abuse this position must expect to be punished.''

Gonzalez was also disqualified from acting as a director for five years.

As the business was going under, he falsely told the liquidator that mannotincluded.com's website and trademark were owned by a company in Cyprus, and forged a document to attempt to prove it.

He also fraudulently diverted £185,000 for personal use from the company accounts, and invented a £125,000 debt to make the business seem more insolvent than it was.

City Sprint (UK) Ltd, a courier firm that delivered sperm to customers, was owed £21,000 when mannotincluded.com folded. No money was owed to donors, however.

Pat McFadden, BERR minister, said: "The Government is determined to crack down on cheats who profit by deception.

"When someone lies about their assets they are effectively stealing from honest creditors who are owed money and who can suffer as a result.

"This prosecution sends a clear message to would-be fraudsters that they won't get away with it.''