Con-Man United! Fraudster who stole £26k from brothers PO...

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Con-Man United! Fraudster who stole £26,000 from his brother's post office is now in charge of Manchester United's security team


Riyaz Patel from Blackburn was found guilty in 2000 of 29 counts of theft
The fraudster is now in charge of the safety of fans at Old Trafford
Manchester United said they were aware of the conviction
The club said Patel is not employed by them but does hold a security licence


A convicted fraudster who stole £26,000 from his brother's post office where he was employed over a six month period is now in charge of security at Old Trafford.

Riyaz Patel, from Blackburn, Lancashire appeared at Preston Crown Court in 2000 where he was found guilty of 29 counts of theft.

Now Patel is responsible for a team of around 1,000 stewards at Manchester United ensuring the safety of more than 70,000 fans, a position which requires personal integrity and reliability.

He works for Controlled Events Solution, who took over the contract for Old Trafford's safety in 2012.

Patel was not jailed and received 100 hours community service and ordered to repay £11,000 of the cash.

It is understood that Patel was spending the cash on casinos and bingo.

According to a report in The Sun, Patel said: 'I am not speaking to you. You'll have to ring Manchester United's press office.'

The club admitted they were aware of Patel's prior conviction.

A spokesperson said: 'He is employed by CES - not Manchester United - to look after people not money. It was a long time ago. He has his SIA (Security Industry Authority) licence, which shows he is not a concern to them.'

CES did not provide a comment at the time of publication.