Home   News   Article

Burley currency trader Mark Johnson transferred to the UK to serve the remainder of jail sentence




A NEW Forest banker who was convicted of a $3.5bn currency fraud has been transferred to a UK jail to serve the rest of his sentence, the A&T can reveal.

The Ministry of Justice would only confirm to the A&T that Mark Johnson, from Burley, has been transferred from the US.

It is not known when Mr Johnson came back into the country, but transferred prisoners are initially held at HMP Wandsworth before being assessed and sent on to an appropriate establishment.

Mark Johnson (left) leaving court in 2016
Mark Johnson (left) leaving court in 2016

As reported in the A&T, Mr Johnson – a former HSBC foreign currency executive – was handed a two-year sentence and a $300,000 fine in April 2018 after being found guilty by a New York jury of nine counts of fraud and one of conspiracy.

After Mr Johnson’s conviction, he served a brief spell behind bars in the US before launching appeals against the verdict, for which he was bailed and allowed back to the UK.

His lawyers argued his case as far as the US Supreme Court, unsuccessfully seeking a re-run of his original trial, before a judge ordered his return after he had received his Covid-19 vaccinations, which is understood to have happened in mid-2021.

During his banking career Mr Johnson worked in London and New York while living in Burley with his children and wife Diane.

He played several seasons with Ellingham and Ringwood Rugby Club, making appearances for the first XV and on occasion captaining the third team.

The case came from a complex transaction in 2011 in which Mr Johnson was found to have manipulated currency values for the benefit of himself and about $8m for the bank.

Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy had asked HSBC to convert proceeds from the sale of an Indian subsidiary from dollars into pounds.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More