X Factor singer from Tower Hamlets found guilty of part in pensioner scam

A former X Factor contestant from Tower Hamlets has been found guilty of laundering £20,000 as part of a wider scam on pensioners.

Nathan Fagan-Gayle, 29. who was also known as Nathan and more recently Starboy Nathan, received money from 73-year-old Elizabeth Curtis in to his bank account.

Elizabeth Curtis been tricked into handing money over by a fake police officer almost two years ago. The con was part of a wider scam linked to suspicious payments to a bank account in Syria.

Kevin Dent, prosecuting, said the Nathan Fagan-Gayle, withdrew £15,000 and filtered £5,000 through his mother’s and girlfriend’s accounts to make it look like “fresh money”.

Fagan-Gayle is to be sentenced with a number of other young men who have also been convicted of their part in the wider £900,000 fraud.

The jury heard Fagan-Gayle who comes from Tower Hamlets, blew all of his cut of the scam on clothes, shoes and on hiring a car in the US.

Fagan-Gale toured with JLS and previously collaborated with Alesha Dixon, was signed to Sir Richard Branson’s label V2 as a 17-year-old and released his first single Come Into My Room, in 2006.

After appearing on Celebrity Big Brother in 2008 he appeared on X Factor in 2012 but failed to make it through to the live shows.

Fagan-Gayle was granted conditional bail until his sentencing.

via Sky News