Laura Holmes Cameron, a mother of three who often showcases her luxurious lifestyle on social media, may be sentenced to up to eight years in a Spanish prison if found guilty of the alleged holiday food poisoning scam. She is expected to receive a harsher sentence for the crime because she is believed to be the ringleader of a group of eight British individuals who were involved in a scheme to defraud a Spanish hotel for a significant amount of money.
The British expatriate frequently shares her achievements and possessions on social media. She identifies herself as an “entrepreneur” who works in the travel industry and has a talent for converting her hobbies into income. This makes her attractive to individuals on social media who aspire to live a fulfilling life.
Cameron has been charged with fraud and being part of a gang involved in a police investigation in Majorca, Spain in 2016. Sources suggest that Cameron may face a sentence of up to six years in a Spanish prison for aggravated fraud and an additional two years for being part of a gang.
One source said: “She’s probably looking at five to eight years if convicted of both crimes. That’s likely to be the sort of sentence prosecutors will be seeking.”
Laura Cameron, also known by her maiden name rather than her married surname Joyce, has been charged by the investigating judge in a six-page document. The document explains how she allegedly led a group of Britons who scammed a Spanish hotel out of thousands of dollars for profit.
Maria Perez Ruiz from Palma accused Cameron of hiring people to make fraudulent food poisoning claims during their trips to the island. The hotel groups that were targeted by this scam reportedly lost approximately 9.5 million British pounds, equivalent to over ten million dollars. The detectives leading the investigation named the operation to stop this activity as “Operation Claims.”
In 2016 and 2017, payouts of over two hundred thousand dollars were made from Spain to the United Kingdom as part of the alleged fraud.
A source stated: “A fraud conviction would result in a fine as well as a prison sentence. Prosecutors will obviously also be seeking compensation for the amount they say has been defrauded. The final figure may not end up being included in indictments, but it will be made public at trial.”
The hotel hired detectives to investigate the food poisoning claims and discovered that the individuals who had reported being sick were actually partying near the hotel pool with drinks. These individuals had posted pictures of themselves on social media and failed to delete them, leading to their discovery as scammers.
In November 2016, the British scammers reported cases of food poisoning after visiting the Canary Islands.
