Jody Pearson jailed in Spain over fraud at collapsed expat wealth firm
Jody Pearson, also known as Jody Smart, has been jailed in Spain for three-and-a-half years after losing appeals against her fraud conviction. Her collapsed wealth firm left hundreds of British expats unable to access retirement savings and investment bonds, with the case highlighting the scale of losses suffered by clients.
Pearson ran Continental Wealth Management with her partner Darren Kirby until it closed in 2017, affecting more than 900 clients; losses are estimated at about £29 million. She was convicted over money taken from Sally Anne Hodgson and Tim Benjamin for a Costa Blanca property that allegedly did not exist, and must pay them £316,000 in compensation. Hodgson lent the firm £59,000, while another client, Mark Davison, lost £679,000 and died before Pearson was jailed.
- Jody Pearson is serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence in Spain.
- The collapse of her firm affected more than 900 expats.
- Estimated client losses reached about £29 million.
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Continental Wealth Management was a firm that handled retirement savings and investment bonds for British expats living in Spain. When the firm collapsed in 2017, it left more than 900 clients unable to access their money, with estimated losses of around £29 million.
Jody Pearson, director of the firm, was convicted of fraud for taking client money for property purchases and investments that never materialised. Specific cases involved £59,000 taken from one client and £679,000 lost by another, who died before the matter was resolved.
The collapse affected British expats whose retirement savings were managed by an unregulated firm operating abroad. Many clients lost substantial sums and were unable to recover their funds.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “British ex model fraudster who left hundreds of UK expats out of pocket through collapsed firm in Costa Blanca is jailed in Spain”.