A fraudster who made fictitious support payment claims to the council has been given an 18-month suspended sentence.
Karmelese Hussain, 41, was caught out by the Hammersmith & Fulham Anti-Fraud Team as she made fake claims to the council regarding her mother’s care.
The investigation revealed a two-year long deception which included forged documents and fake care arrangements which cost the council over £38,000.
Hussain claimed she had organised new care for her mother to justify the additional payments, but the Anti-Fraud Team found no evidence this person existed.
She pleaded guilty to three counts of forgery and counterfeiting, one count of theft and one offence under the Fraud Act.
She was sentenced on June 16 at Isleworth Crown Court to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, 100 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of rehabilitation activity.
Councillor Rowan Ree, Cabinet Member for Finance and Reform in the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham reiterated that scammers will not be tolerated in the Borough.
He said: “This is a shameful abuse of the support system that is there for those most in need.”
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|Karmelese Hussain was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court
This comes amongst a spate of other, similar crimes.
Earlier this month, another fraudster avoided jail after he claimed almost £16,500 in benefits.
Wayne Gaines lied about not having any money when applying for Universal Credit between 2018 and 2023, despite having up to £40,000.
Gaines, from Consett in County Durham, was given an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for 18, with 300 hours unpaid work after he admitted fraud be false representation.
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PA | The fraudster made fake benefit claims which cost the council over £38k
In mitigation, the court was told he was “extremely remorseful” and had sold his car to repay £10,000, reports the BBC.
However, Judge Penny Moreland said: “This was a claim that was fraudulent from the outset and motivated only by greed.”
He was ordered to repay an outstanding balance of around £6,300 to the DWP within 28 days.
Another case saw two people from Northern Ireland convicted of benefit fraud on July 4.
Louise Dawson, 38, was handed an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after claiming Income Support and Housing Benefit totalling £76,225 whilst failing to declare joint living arrangements.
Separately, 35-year-old Tyrell Yellowe was given a prison sentence of one year and four months, suspended for two years, after claiming £41,529 in Universal Credit whilst failing to declare joint living arrangements.