A builder who used company money and the sale of hired machinery to bankroll a gambling habit has been ordered to repay £190,577 ($254,558) following an investigation by the UK’s Insolvency Service.
According to a press release, Vasile Hrusca, director of Vasile Hrusca Ltd, took more than £67,000 ($89,500) from his company in 2019 to settle the outstanding balance on a hire purchase agreement for an Audi RS6 costing just under £75,000 ($100,185).
Investigators said that in addition to the car payment he sold seven diggers and other plant machinery worth nearly £85,000 ($114,000) despite them still being under hire purchase agreements with two banks. The case details suggest that the proceeds were spent on gambling rather than on the struggling company.
Builder who stole plant machinery and used company money to pay for Audi ordered to repay more than £190,000 Director sentenced for theft and fraudulently removing company property must repay fundshttps://t.co/0QBEwU9a1P
— Press Releases (@press_newswire) December 3, 2025
The Insolvency Service found that the company was already failing when Hrusca began diverting funds for personal use. The loss of machinery left creditors unable to recover their assets, while the company’s financial position continued to deteriorate. Officials said the director’s actions created a significant shortfall for lenders and other victims.
Builder ordered to repay money used for gambling
A confiscation order was issued at Snaresbrook Crown Court on November 25. Hrusca has three months to repay the money or he could face up to two and a half years in prison. Even if he is jailed, the debt will remain until fully settled. Confiscation orders are used to recover the proceeds of criminal conduct and prevent offenders from benefiting from their actions.
Earlier this year Hrusca received an 18-month prison sentence suspended for two years, a four-year ban from serving as a company director, 150 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activity. The latest order adds further financial consequences on top of the criminal sanctions already imposed.
Alexander Grierson, Head of Asset Recovery at the Insolvency Service, said: “Vasile Hrusca stripped assets from his failing company to benefit himself, leaving creditors and victims significantly out of pocket.
“Asset recovery is a vital tool in holding fraudulent directors to account […] This confiscation order sends a clear message that directors who misuse company assets for personal gain will be pursued for the proceeds of their crimes.”
Featured image: Cassianto via WikiCommons / CC BY-SA 4.0
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