A Company director has been arrested at his home and bailed to appear in Court on Tuesday facing four charges of causing loss by deception (fraud), following the liquidation of his company which has debts of more than $2 million.

The Dominion Post (Friday, June 22, p. A5) has named the man the company in its report:

See: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/7149604/Piano-shop-director-to-face-fraud-charges

A PLIMMERTON piano salesman, Cameron Crawford, is facing fraud charges after claims millions owed to those who sold instruments through his company are gone.

Cameron Crawford, director of Pianoshop Ltd for more than a decade, was arrested at his home in Raumati South yesterday and bailed to appear in Porirua District Court on Tuesday.

He will face four charges of causing loss by deception. However it was likely that more charges would be laid as other victims came forward to police, Detective Jocelyn Bell said.

Police will request a lengthy remand period, in order to give time to gather statements from victims, in particular those who had bought or sold pianos through Crawford, Ms Bell said.

Pianoshop, in Plimmerton, was placed in liquidation on May 21, with debts of more than $2 million

A list of creditors included more than 200 customers who bought or sold pianos through the store, but had not received the money they were owed or the instrument they purchased.

Two creditors have told The Dominion Post they have already begun legal action to try to collect debts they claimed were more than a year old.

Contacted at his home earlier this week about allegations of fraud, Crawford refused to make any comment.

Shortly after the company was placed into liquidation, Crawford said he was “gutted” the company had been liquidated.

Ms Bell said police had received complaints from several creditors who had given Crawford pianos to sell, but had never received their money. Some were told up until February that their instruments were unsold, but were then contacted as creditors in March by a company trying to strike a deal to receive Pianoshop’s debt.

“From there they’ve been able to uncover the fact that the piano has been sold a year earlier.”

Ms Bell understood that another complaint had been made in Rotorua in relation to the case, and that police had received a file from liquidator Murray Allott which also alleged fraud.

The first liquidator’s report on Pianoshop showed it had run up debts of almost $2.4 million, however selling its assets was likely to raise less than $100,000.

Secured creditor Lock Finance is owed more than $340,000, while employees and the Inland Revenue are owed another $236,000, making it unlikely unsecured creditors will receive any payment from the liquidation.