A mother who played the leading role in a counterfeit clothing empire has been jailed for four years and three months, after telling her TikTok followers before sentencing: "Keep me in your prayers...it will only be for a couple of months."
Megan Carney-Borrowman, 35, sold fake luxury goods purporting to be from Chanel, Burberry and Versace through Instagram. The mother-of-four became involved in the crime after being approached because of her success selling weight-loss medication online, the court heard.
Business accounts linked to Carney-Borrowman showed more than £4m was deposited between 2019 and 2023, while at least £750,000 was transferred into her personal account. During that time, she also claimed tens of thousands of pounds on Universal Credit.
Self-pitying TikTok video
In a deleted TikTok video, believed to have been published the week before her sentencing, Carney-Borrowman sought to explain her side of the case. She told followers she used to sell counterfeit goods "around four or five years ago", but Liverpool Crown Court heard during the two-day sentencing that she continued until at least April 2023, when her house was raided for a second time.
She claimed she had been "dobbed in" by a friend and said: "I hope I will be okay. God willing. Please keep me all in your prayers." She added: "I have been told it will only be for a couple of months."
The mum said she "wouldn't wish what I have gone through on anybody" and added she did not realise how bad the repercussions of selling counterfeit goods were. She told the video: "It is basically in the same category as selling drugs."
'Architect and beneficiary'
Judge Louise Brandon, sentencing, told Carney-Borrowman she was the "architect and beneficiary of the criminal enterprise". The judge added: "I can't accept that your customers all believed they were buying counterfeit goods. If that was the case we would not be here today...You feel you are the victim. Your actions caused your children to see the police in your own home. You have no one else to blame for the impact on your children."
Detective Inspector Adam Williams, of the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU), said: "Counterfeit goods are far from a victimless crime. The proceeds often support wider organised criminality, while consumers are deceived into purchasing products they believe to be genuine."
The probe determined Carney-Borrowman played the leading role in the operation, but pulled in her husband, Jordan Borrowman, her mum, Sandra Carney, and her mum's business partner Adam Yaffe. The investigation also found she had made a bogus insurance claim after saying she had lost her Rolex watch on a night out in Blackpool, but officers spotted the watch on her wrist when they attended her home.
Sentences and proceeds of crime
James Rae, prosecuting, told the court Carney-Borrowman was the "prime mover" in the offending, "clearly supported and encouraged by her mother". In mitigation, Nicholas Clarke, defending, said her remorse was "reflective of the genuine fear she has for her children", adding that her youngest had ongoing appointments at Alder Hey Children's Hospital.
Carney-Borrowman, of Birdling Drive in Southport, was sentenced for conspiracy to commit trademark offences, conspiracy to launder money, benefit fraud, and conspiracy to defraud. Borrowman received 12 months, suspended for 18 months, with 120 hours of unpaid work. Carney was handed two years, suspended for 18 months, with 120 hours of unpaid work. Yaffe received an 18-month community order and 120 hours of unpaid work.
Carney-Borrowman, her husband and her mum are listed to appear at Warrington Magistrates' Court for the beginning of proceeds of crime efforts. Carney-Borrowman faces two applications to forfeit seized cash, including £158,685 found in her children's room in a baby clothes drawer and around £8,000. She also faces seven applications for forfeiture orders for money held in frozen accounts. Carney faces three such applications, while Borrowman faces an application to forfeit a Rolex watch worth approximately £4,400.
