Dazzling dealer Daniel Burgoyne posed as a “real diamond geezer” to his pals and prospective clients.

Dabbling in carbon credits, diamonds and wine, the 24-year-old Folkestone man boasted he had the Midas touch... with an office in London.

On his Facebook, he was pictured smoking cigars, gambling at a casino, quaffing large bottles of Champagne and living a luxury lifestyle with holidays abroad.

But now the truth about the Champagne Charlie has been revealed... he was an ex-butcher, with average exam results, lodging with his mother... but who conned £75,000 from investors!

Canterbury Crown Court heard how 18 people were defrauded of their cash – including one victim who lost nearly £33,000 – who believed they were investing in carbon credits.

The credits are certificates or permits which can be traded for money which were being traded by Burgoyne through his two companies Elite Broker Company and Elite Commodity Markets.

Prosecutor Jim Harvey told how others thought they were investing in wine or in diamonds.

In jailing him for two years, Judge Simon James told him he had deliberately targeted people who were struggling to sell carbon credits by offering unrealistic returns.

“He never went to university but has one NVQ in business studies and he has been living with his mother as a lodger" - Anthony Abell, defending

He said that police found evidence he had blown more than £56,000 on the ‘High Life” until the scam was stopped.

Burgoyne, who admitted 18 fraud charges, told clients he was running his businesses from an address at Tower 42, Old Broad Street, London EC2.

But in reality he was running the companies with a couple of staff housed in a unit at Shearway Business Park in Folkestone.

And when police raided his premises and seized his record it showed he had bought just one diamond at £1,481... and £2,130 worth of wine.

But Mr Harvey revealed how the silver-tongue salesman, who began his working life at a butchers, had paid himself £20,947 in dividends, transferred £7,498 to his personal account and withdrew nearly £28,000 in cash.

He told the court that record revealed Burgoyne had also blown £1500 gambling and £1115 at pubs, restaurants and hotels.

Police also seized £27,427 from his account before it could be spent – and a decision will be taken later how it will be distributed among the victims.

Judge Simon James said that pictures posted on Burgoyne’s Facebook account showed him holding Champagne bottles, posing in foreign climes, having a Rolex watch, pictures of cash and smoking a cigar.

“Clearly this was indicative of him having spent considerable amounts on a lavish lifestyle.”

Anthony Abell, defending, told how Burgoyne achieved 12 GCSE with “average grades”, two ‘A’ levels with poor grades.

“He never went to university but has one NVQ in business studies and he has been living with his mother as a lodger.

“As a teenager he began working at a butchers and intended to make his way in that trade.”

Mr Abell said that Burgoyne claimed he was “headhunted” by a company trading in carbon credits and when it went bust started his own company dealing in the credits.

“He was a rather ambitious young man who was dazzled by all the glamour he saw around him. But he is genuinely sorry for all his lies which he made to close deals.”

Burgoyne was also banned from being a director of a limited company for seven years.

The judge told him: “This was a sophisticated deception in which just £10,000 or the £80,000 you received was actually invested...and even then not in anything which would produce proper returns for the investors.”

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