Gold and art seized from on-the-run money launderer

Lenn Mayhew-Lewis has been on the run since March last year

Police have seized gold bullion and artwork worth millions of pounds from a man who is on the run after being convicted of money laundering.

Lenn Mayhew-Lewis, 69, from Oxted, Surrey, had eight kilos of gold stowed in his Bentley when he was arrested in 2019.

Officers discovered Mayhew-Lewis had also purchased a painting by artist Frank Auerbach, which they think was used by another person as collateral to secure a £5m loan from an auction house.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) was given permission to seize the gold and artwork from Mayhew-Lewis on Monday.

The Jamaican national was found guilty of money laundering at Southwark Crown Court in January 2023, but failed to appear for sentencing.

He was sentenced to five years in prison in his absence.

Law enforcers can apply to seize precious metals and artwork believed to be derived from or intended for use in crime

Police said he helped criminals “blur the origins of their cash” by using multiple companies to filter payments, so they would appear legitimate. He took a fee in the process.

Mayhew-Lewis produced fake documents, such as investment records and bank statements, to make payments appear more plausible.

In 2017, he paid £1.6m for the painting Albert Street, 2009 by Auerbach, whose works can fetch as much as £5.5m, police say.

The gold is valued at about £400,000.

The NCA said the items will now be sold and the money spent on public services. Half of it will go back into fighting organised crime.

Barry Vinall, from the international corruption unit, said: “It’s fitting that the money from these items will now be ploughed into fighting organised crime.”