A dad-of-two used a cancer charity's boxing event to drum up fake holiday sickness claims for his dodgy business.
Boxer Brian Paul Cromby sponsored a night run by Aigburth-based Sunflowers called 'Scousers Don't Get Knocked Out – Cancer Does' .
He had ring girls in tight jeans and T-shirts collect money for the charity, which supports cancer patients, survivors and carers.
But they also handed out business cards, telling spectators they could win huge payouts "with or without medical evidence".
The 34-year-old was secretly filmed by undercover Mail on Sunday reporters at the bash at Grand Central Hall in Renshaw Street.
He explained he could get them £2,000 each if they lied about being ill on holiday, then bragged: "Most of my clients weren't sick."
Liverpool Crown Court heard there has been a dramatic increase in travellers claiming their package holidays were ruined by sickness.
It is illegal for solicitors to pay referral fees for personal injury claims, but it is said some get around the law by paying a monthly retainer.
James Rae, prosecuting, said Cromby, of Thornside Walk, Woolton , owned and ran the 'claims management' firm RTA Solutions.
It advertised on Facebook, offering referral fees for claims over car crashes, accidents at work, medical negligence and holiday sickness.
One post in November 2017 said "wow, what a week we're having" and talked of "generous cash incentives", ranging from £300 to £1,000.
Two journalists investigated a post in May 2016, which talked of a minimum £2,000 payout for illness lasting seven days or more.
Another post in April 2017 said RTA was recruiting new members for its "events team" accompanied by a photo of ring girls in T-shirts with the RTA logo.
One reporter enquired and Cromby replied saying he needed "a couple of girls" who would be "generating lots of leads" by handing out cards.
Another journalist pretended to be a potential client who was interested in making a holiday sickness claim, during a recorded call on May 4, 2017.
He was advised by Cromby not to mention eating outside the resort, as this could mean he wasn't entitled to any money, and to claim for seven days, not four.
The two reporters went to the boxing and MMA event on May 5, 2017, which featured Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett, when two ring girls handed them business cards, offering up to £450 for an accident referral.
Cromby fought in one of the matches at the show, which was attended by around 300 people, before he was covertly filmed explaining his scam.
He said: "All you have to say is you had the s***s for a week and that's it and I'll get you two grand. It's as simple as that yeah."
Cromby said he could get them and their wives £3,000 each if they said they were sick for 10 days or two weeks, plus £100 for each referral.
The reporter asked "even if you weren't sick you still can get a claim?" to which he replied: "Most of my clients weren't sick."
He claimed he had a "massive network of clients and referrers", including "people who don't even work anymore", who could make £1,000 for 10 referrals a week.
When arrested by police, Cromby claimed he drank a lot after the fight but realised the people talking to him were investigators.
He said he "told them a ton of rubbish" and made exaggerated claims because it was what they wanted to hear.
Cromby, whose past convictions include dishonesty as a youth, denied any wrongdoing and claimed "entrapment".
However, he later admitted one count of intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence.
Peter Killen, defending, said there was no actual fraudulent claim, nor was there going to be, but Judge David Aubrey, QC, replied: "Unbeknown to him."
Mr Killen said Cromby's talk of people earning £1,000 a week in referrals was "marketing bravado" and he had now shut down the business.
He said Cromby had since worked for Scottish Power in sales and was due to start a training course this week for a new job with Shell Energy.
The lawyer said Cromby had references from both his current and former partners, and helped care for his 61-year-old dad, who had been ill.
He said the ex-boxer, who helped out at Walton ABC, had previously raised more than £16,000 for charities, and urged the judge to spare him jail.
Mr Killen said Cromby also voluntarily acted as a referee to help people relocate to Tenerife, where he had previously lived.
He said: "He's a better man than the man that is demonstrated by his conduct encapsulated in the statements in this case."
Judge Aubrey said Cromby would only be sentenced for this one offence, but had been "rumbled by investigative journalists".
He said: "You were rumbled plying a dishonest trade under the guise of a legitimate claims management business called RTA Solutions.
"In truth, in my judgement it was a sham, it was a scam and, at the very least, it was promoting or encouraging dishonest civil claims."
Judge Aubrey said Cromby thought the reporters were genuine and encouraged a potentially dishonest claim of around £12,000.
He said: "You were driven by the concept of easy money - dishonest easy money, as you perceived it to be."
The judge said Cromby abused his responsibility and that RTA was "nothing whatsoever to do with solutions".
Jailing him for 12 months, he said: "It was to do with promoting dishonest civil claims."
There was no suggestion that Sunflowers, based in Aigburth Road, or the ring girls knew Cromby encouraged people to make fake claims.
Speaking after the case, Clive Myerscough, Merseyside Police fraud investigator, said: "Cromby is a calculating individual who actively persuaded others, many of whom had no previous convictions, to become involved in his criminal enterprises.
"On this occasion he even stooped as low as enlisting people to hand out business cards advertising his service at a charity boxing match that was raising money for cancer patients.
"It has been widely reported that there has been a sharp increase in the number of people claiming they had fallen ill on holiday and it is suspected many are fraudulent claims.
"People like Cromby who encourage people to male fraudulent claims against the travel industry also risk undermining genuine holiday sickness claims.
"I want to thank the journalists who reported his offending and assisted our investigation in bringing Cromby to justice today.
"I hope his sentencing sends out a clear message to anyone thinking about making a fraudulent claim that they puts themselves at risk of prosecution, a criminal record and even time in jail."
If you have fallen victim to any kind of fraud contact Action Fraud via www.actionfraud.police.uk, direct message Merseyside Police on Twitter @MerPolCC or call the confidential Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.
