Susan Lawrence, a recently elected Reform UK councillor for Wolverhampton, is facing intense scrutiny for her past role as a prominent promoter of HyperVerse, an alleged $1.89 billion pyramid and Ponzi scheme. As reported by The Guardian, Lawrence now serves on the city council’s audit and risk committee, a position tasked with overseeing the governance and financial reporting of a multimillion-pound municipal budget.
The Operational Mechanics of the HyperVerse Collapse
HyperVerse functioned as a classic multi-level marketing structure masquerading as a cryptocurrency investment platform. Between 2020 and 2022, the scheme permeated markets in the US, UK, and various developing nations. US federal authorities later determined in court filings that the platform lacked any legitimate revenue source, relying entirely on capital inflows from new recruits to pay off earlier investors.
The human cost of this collapse was extreme. Many participants, some of whom secured bank loans to purchase investment packages, were left with nothing when the platform shuttered.
Lawrence Promoted the Project Despite Regulatory Warnings
Despite a 2021 consumer warning from the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)—which explicitly advised that the firm was likely operating without proper authorization and urged the public to “avoid dealing with this firm and beware of scams”—Lawrence continued to market the project. Her involvement extended beyond mere promotion; she was a visible presence in webinars and promotional videos, and even traveled to Dubai to meet the scheme’s co-founder, Sam Lee.
Lawrence’s networking efforts were not limited to HyperVerse. She was identified as a “super leader” for a related platform known as Vidilook, a status that required the active recruitment of new participants. Her promotional activities were frequently conducted alongside Desmond Amey, a UK-based figure whose company was subsequently shut down by the UK High Court for its role in funneling millions into these investment platforms.
Governance Concerns at Wolverhampton Council
The appointment of a former high-profile promoter to the audit and risk committee has raised significant questions regarding the council’s internal vetting processes. While Lawrence has not been personally charged with criminal wrongdoing, her oversight role involves the exact type of financial governance and risk assessment that was absent in the crypto schemes she formerly championed.
Reform UK has defended Lawrence, characterizing her as a victim of the same fraud. A party spokesperson stated that she lost her pension and a significant personal investment in the scheme and later engaged with a subsequent project, HyperNation, in an attempt to recover her losses. The party maintains that she has no current involvement in such schemes and was never employed by Desmond Amey.
The Open Questions of Financial Vetting
Despite the public outcry and the potential conflict of interest inherent in her committee role, several critical issues remain unresolved. Reform UK has declined to clarify whether its internal vetting team identified Lawrence’s history with HyperVerse before her candidacy, or if the party was aware of her status as a “super leader” in related crypto networks. Lawrence did not respond to requests for comment regarding her promotional activities following the FCA’s public warnings.
As authorities continue to pursue legal action against the architects of the HyperVerse collapse—including the 2024 civil and criminal charges brought against Sam Lee in the US—the question of whether a background in high-risk, failed crypto ventures is compatible with the oversight of public funds remains a point of contention for local governance.
