Former Chelsea employee facing 10-year jail sentence for fraud

A former long-serving employee Chelsea employee is set to face at least 10-year jail term after she was found to have fraudulently siphoned more than £200,000 from the organisation over a four-year period.

Claire Walsh, 39, who worked as an assistant treasury manager, pleaded guilty to abusing her position to obtain £208,521.65 for personal gain and could now face a prison sentence of up to 10 years for her actions.

Walsh entered her plea at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, confirming the charge of fraud by abuse of position relating to offences committed between June 2019 and October 2023.

When asked how she wished to plead, she responded quietly: “Guilty.” Magistrate Kieran O’Donnell informed Walsh that the scale of the fraud placed the offence beyond the magistrates’ sentencing powers.

Magistrate Kieran O’Donnell told Walsh: “You’ve been charged with an offence of fraud which exceeds £200,000 against Chelsea Football Club. You’ve pleaded guilty to the offence and it exceeds our powers in terms of sentencing. You’ll need to be sent to a crown court for sentencing, where they have the appropriate powers.”

Walsh, who has lived in Chelsea and worked for the football club for more than 20 years, was granted unconditional bail.

She will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on a date yet to be determined. Under sentencing guidelines, the prosecution confirmed the case sits within category “A”, meaning it carries a starting point of five years’ imprisonment and a potential range of three to six years.