Chiedu Ikenma of Acre Road, Dagenham, claimed £5,180 of benefits he was not entitled to. He filled out application forms for housing benefit in June 2006 and June 2008 and a form for job seeker’s allowance in April 2006. On all three forms he failed to declare that he owned a flat in Napier Road, Newham.
Ikenma was caught by fraud investigators at Barking and Dagenham Council who were carrying out pro-active checks on housing benefit claimants living in privately rented properties. The Department for Work and Pensions was also involved in the investigation.
He pleaded guilty to three charges of making a false statement at Barking Court on 22 August. Magistrates ordered him to pay £2,000 in costs and gave him a two year conditional discharge.
Cllr Cameron Geddes, Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenues and Benefits, said: “We cannot allow council tax payers’ money to be siphoned off by people who make fraudulent benefit applications. That’s why we will continue to leave no stone unturned in our efforts to bring the culprits to justice.
“Our fraud investigators use a variety of different methods to track down fraudsters. This particular case shows that pro-active checks are an important part of their armoury.”