Vittorio Dragoti fined £180,000 and banned as a company director for seven years after he hired four illegal workers at his Suffolk car wash. The 28-year-old, who lives on Queensway in Mildenhall, ran Fiveways Car Wash located near the A11 at Barton Mills.
Authorities discovered the violations during an immigration enforcement visit in April last year. Officials found four Romanian men, aged between 18 and 49, working without legal authorization. According to the Insolvency Service, none of them had the right to work in the UK.
Dragoti served as the sole director of Vito’s Car Care Limited, the company that operated the car wash. Although the government issued the £180,000 penalty, Dragoti failed to pay the fine. As a result, the court disqualified him from serving as a director or managing any company for seven years unless granted permission.
The case highlights the government’s efforts to crack down on businesses violating immigration laws. Dave Magrath, director of investigation and enforcement at the Insolvency Service, emphasized the legal responsibilities of business leaders. “Company directors have clear statutory obligations to recruit individuals who hold the right to work in the UK,” he stated.
He also credited inter-agency collaboration. “Vittorio Dragoti’s disqualification as a director resulted from ongoing cooperation between the Insolvency Service and the Home Office,” Magrath added.
Cheryl Daldry, the Home Office’s East of England compliance and enforcement lead, echoed that message. “This case shows the serious consequences that business owners face when they ignore employment and immigration checks,” she said.
Furthermore, Daldry noted that Dragoti’s actions triggered significant enforcement efforts. “He flouted employment and immigration rules by hiring several people with no legal right to work in the UK. Consequently, we took long-term enforcement action against both him and his business,” she added.
The Vittorio Dragoti fined case serves as a stark warning to other business owners. Employers must check and verify every employee’s right to work. Failing to do so not only puts vulnerable workers at risk but also leads to substantial penalties and career-ending bans.
The Home Office and the Insolvency Service continue to monitor businesses across the UK. Through combined operations, they aim to identify and prosecute companies that exploit workers or bypass legal employment procedures.
For Dragoti, the punishment reflects the severity of his negligence. By ignoring basic compliance checks, he not only endangered individuals but also compromised legal standards that protect workers and uphold fair business practices.
