A Nigerian couple who tried to claim £3.8million in an ‘eye-watering’ benefits scam using 1,400 stolen identities have been jailed for a total of almost 10 years.
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| Adeola Thomas |
The pair spent the money on designer clothing and electrical items including a 50-inch plasma television.
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| Abimbola Abiola |
Thomas, an illegal immigrant, was jailed for seven years while Abiola, also a Nigerian national with leave to remain in the UK, received two-and-a-half years.
Passing sentence, Judge William Kennedy said: ‘This was no less than a criminal industry, with simple and eye watering criminality designed to maximise the loss to the public.
‘It was a difficult investigation carried out with skill and tenacity.
‘The largest single joint conspiracy [of its kind] for these departments and the actual loss was kept down because of the work of both departments.’
Judge Kennedy also indicated that both Thomas and Abiola should be deported at the end of their prison terms.
The pair, who carried out the scam between January 3, 2007 and October 7, 2011, tried to claim £827,000 from HMRC, securing £43,000.
They also claimed £3 million from the Department of Work and Pensions and received £44,000.
With Abiola’s help, Thomas used stolen personal details to complete 2,495 handwritten application forms, which were sent to the appropriate departments for processing.
When the claims were successful, the pair withdrew cash from acquaintances' bank accounts or from bogus post office accounts that Thomas, pictured, had set up
It is believed that others unknown to investigators, also provided postal addresses and assisted with correspondence.
When the claims were successful, the pair withdrew cash from acquaintances' bank accounts or from bogus post office accounts that Thomas, who masterminded the scam, had set up.As well as analysing tax credit records, computer systems, hand written application forms and bank account details and listening to hours of recorded phones calls to the Tax Credit Helpline, HMRC investigators viewed CCTV footage showing activity outside various North London Post Office ATMs and carried out surveillance on Thomas.
He was arrested outside a cash point at Upper Clacton Post Office in Hackney, east London last October 7 where he was found to be in possession of 17 Post Office accounts.
Abiola, a mother-of-one, was caught on the same day with £4,125 cash in her handbag, which she claimed was child benefit payment.
Thomas, of Hackney, east London, admitted three counts of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering.
Abiola, of the same address was found guilty of four counts of conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and possession of criminal property following a trial at the court in August.
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It is so sad how the system work in this country. You do not really have to work or contribute to system to benefit from it. The tax payers benefits nothing from the dam system. Its is not just Nigerians that are guilty but sad that we are part of it.
ReplyDeleteEngland is a soft touch, the less you do, the more they give you.
ReplyDeleteThey have benefit tourists who travel to the UK just to claim benefits.
Once the document has been signed they go back to France, Germany, Belgium.
The money is paid directly into there bank accounts.
England is no longer for English people, ITS FOR SCAMMERS.
May heaven embarrass u ppl n give u the taste of ur own medicine. Deceitful, envious lout. And ppl begin to wonder y nigerians r been humiliated, ill treated n even cursed n killed d world over. Uv made d very presence of any nigeria repugnant. Away with d creep n his ngbati wife. Lock em for twice d time n pls don't deport them to Nigeria, lest they come here to join other mega theives n make d situation a little more worse than it is. Deport dem.to china, that's nigeria,s final stage of processing refuse. Where they eont spare or recycle trash. Where they send them to b incinerated.
ReplyDeleteO ju kokoro ni e
ReplyDelete