Gold and art worth millions forfeited by NCA, instructing Penelope Small

Penelope Small, instructed by the NCA, obtained a listed asset forfeiture order in respect of gold bullion and a painting worth millions of pounds, which was seized by the NCA during an investigation into convicted money launderer Lenn Mayhew-Lewis (69).

Mayhew-Lewis was found with over eight kilos of gold bars and shavings stored in a supermarket plastic bag stowed in the footwell of his Bentley when he was arrested in 2019 by West Midlands Police officers acting on NCA intelligence.

A subsequent investigation by NCA officers revealed that Mayhew-Lewis had also purchased a painting by artist Frank Auerbach which was used by another individual as collateral to secure a £5m loan from a UK auction house. The painting, “Albert Street, 2009”, was purchased in 2017 for £1.6m, but Auerbach’s works now fetch as much as £5.5m.

Mayhew-Lewis absconded from the jurisdiction following his conviction last year for money laundering and is being sought by the NCA. Mayhew-Lewis was sentenced in his absence to five years in prison.

The forfeiture was granted at a hearing on Monday 29th April at the Westminster Magistrates Court.

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