TWO criminals once dubbed Scotland's most wanted couple after going on the run to Spain to avoid a string of fraud charges have had almost £1 million seized.

Anthony Kearney, 46, and Donna McCafferty, 44, escaped to Spain’s Costa Blanca when police started looking into their activities, but they were later caught after they featured on a Crimestoppers appeal and were extradited to Scotland.

Kearney, who admitted a money-laundering offence as well as three charges of housing benefit fraud, was sentenced to two years in prison. McCafferty was ordered to carry out 250 hours of community service after pleading guilty to benefit fraud at Glasgow Sheriff Court in December 2009.

Separate proceedings were later raised under proceeds of crime legislation and yesterday at Glasgow Sheriff Court, Kearney was ordered to pay back £930,362.75 while McCafferty was told to pay £13,003.25.

The confiscation order imposed on Kearney is one of the biggest for an individual since the Proceeds of Crime Act was introduced in 2002.

Solicitor General Lesley Thomson, QC, said: “Anthony Kearney and Donna McCafferty lied about their circumstances to rob the public purse of thousands of pounds in benefit fraud before fleeing to Spain to try to escape justice. They were arrested on an international warrant within 24 hours of a Crimestoppers appeal, which featured them on a ‘most-wanted’ list, and extradited to Scotland.

“The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service will continue to work with police and other agencies – including Crimestoppers – to bring criminals to justice wherever they may be in the world.

“This case should also be a warning to those who think that targeting public funds through criminal enterprise is an easy way to make money, and a reminder that the proceeds of crime legislation covers a wide range of offences where there has been financial benefit.”

Kearney and McCafferty went on the run after a money-laundering investigation was launched in May 2004. The couple committed fraud by claiming housing benefit when they had more than £330,000 in offshore accounts.

Kearney, who is also serving a five-year sentence for attempting to extort £35,000 from a businessman, also claimed income support totalling almost £23,000 and pocketed more than £10,000 from credit card frauds.

A European arrest warrant was issued for the couple in 2007 and they were tracked down to a detached villa near Alicante, just 24 hours after a high-profile appeal was made for their arrest by the Serious Organised Crime Agency and Crimestoppers.

Sentencing the couple last year, Sheriff Sean Murphy, QC, said: “You have pled guilty to what is a significant fraud on the public purse.”

Proceeds of crime legislation is used to seize money from criminals, with the funds then used on community projects. In 2010/11, a record £25.8m was seized from criminals for public benefit.

The figure was up by about £20m on the previous year and took into account money from engineering firm Weir Group which paid kickbacks to Saddam Hussein’s government and £6.5m from Moscow-based businessman Anatoly Kazachkov.

The sum seized from Kearney is among the highest amount confiscated from a individual criminal under the legislation.

Michael Voudouri, of Bridge of Allan, who was jailed for four years for a £3m VAT evasion in 2006, was previously ordered to pay back £1.3m. Gangland figure James Stevenson was ordered to pay more than £747,000 in October 2008 at the High Court in Edinburgh. He had previously forfeited £200,000.