Prosecuting the women who operated and promoted a £21 million pyramid scheme cost taxpayers at least £1.4 million – but those convicted paid back as little as £1 each.
The get-rich-quick con, named Give and Take (G&T), fleeced at least 10,000 people as it spread across the country between May 2008 and April 2009.
Bristol Crown Court heard victims were encouraged to “beg, borrow or steal” to take part in the scam, which promised £23,000 for each £3,000 investment if a player recruited two friends.