A Southport mother-of-four who made more than £4 million selling counterfeit designer goods has been jailed for four years and three months. Megan Carney-Borrowman, 35, led a conspiracy that saw fake Chanel, Burberry and Versace items sold to thousands of social media followers.
During a police raid, officers found £158,000 in cash hidden among baby clothes. Carney-Borrowman claimed the money was her children's savings that she had withdrawn.
How the counterfeit operation worked
The business operated through Instagram accounts and WhatsApp ordering systems. It used multiple bank accounts, corporate structures, direct overseas suppliers, drop-ship methods, concealed payments and efforts to avoid detection, Liverpool Crown Court was told.
Carney-Borrowman was approached to sell the fake goods because of her success selling weight-loss medication online. She declared that items couldn't be exchanged or refunded, regardless of customer satisfaction.
Between 2019 and 2023, business accounts connected to her received nearly £4,319,952.73. Of that sum, £753,419.50 was transferred into her personal accounts.
Police raids and discovery
Her property was first searched in November 2022 after Chanel tipped off anti-crime authorities. Both Carney-Borrowman and her husband Jordan Borrowman were absent during the raid. When questioned, they claimed they didn't have access to their mobile phones.
Borrowman said his phone had gone missing and was never retrieved, though the court was told it remained in use after his arrest. Carney-Borrowman tried to pass off her son's device as her own.
Her phone was eventually found on top of the curtain rail in the main bedroom during a second raid in April 2023. James Rae, prosecuting, told the court: "She also sought to prevent the officers searching her baby's bedroom, although it became apparent that the real reason was that there was £158,000 in cash concealed in there. This was seized despite the defendant claiming that it was her children's savings that she had withdrawn."
The phone revealed a "very large volume of chats from which it was overwhelmingly evident that she was selling counterfeit goods and using a 'drop-shipping' method to import them from the overseas supplier directly to the customer's address".
Benefit fraud and fake Rolex claim
Carney-Borrowman was detained for benefit fraud in May 2024. A Department of Work and Pensions investigation found she had profited by approximately £68,300 through failing to declare her self-employment earnings, her acquisition of two properties, her cohabitation with Borrowman, and their combined assets.
She also submitted a fraudulent insurance claim, telling Halifax she had lost her Rolex during an evening out in Blackpool. However, when NWROCU officers visited her residence, they spotted a Rolex on her wrist with the same serial number as the supposedly missing watch.
When challenged, Carney-Borrowman told an officer "it's not real...you're not taking it off me. It was for my 30th birthday". She later acknowledged it was genuine.
Sentencing
The court heard that Carney-Borrowman was the "prime mover" in the offending, "clearly supported and encouraged by her mother". Her husband Jordan Borrowman, 35, was a substantial beneficiary and had occasionally sold, packaged and transported goods. Her mother Sandra Carney, 65, enlisted her longtime business associate Adam Yaffe, 53, who "encouraged, cautioned and advised" Carney-Borrowman.
In mitigation, Nicholas Clarke, representing Carney-Borrowman, said her remorse was "reflective of the genuine fear she has for her children". He explained there were developmental concerns regarding all her children, and her youngest had ongoing appointments at Alder Hey Children's Hospital.
Judge Louise Brandon said: "The business operated through Instagram accounts and WhatsApp ordering systems with multiple bank accounts, corporate structures, direct overseas suppliers, drop-ship methods, concealed payments and efforts to avoid detection."
Carney-Borrowman, of Birdling Drive, Southport, was sentenced to four years and three months for conspiracy to commit trademark offences, conspiracy to launder money, benefit fraud, and conspiracy to defraud.
Borrowman received a 12-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and 120 hours of unpaid work after admitting to conspiracy to commit trademark offences, conspiracy to launder money and benefit fraud.
Carney, 65, of Court Road, was handed a two-year sentence, suspended for 18 months, along with 120 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit trademark offences, conspiracy to acquire criminal property, aiding and abetting fraud and conspiracy to defraud.
Yaffe was handed an 18-month community order and 120 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit trademark offences and conspiracy to acquire criminal property, but he walked free from court.
