Five gang members who falsely claimed more than £53 million in benefits have been jailed for a total of 25 years.
In what is considered the largest benefits fraud scheme and related to money laundering in the England It is Walesthe gang made thousands of fake universal credit claims using real people or hijacked identities.
Gyunesh Ali, 34, committed fraud by false representation “on an industrial scale” during the scheme which also involved Bulgarians Galina Nikolova, 39, Stoyan Stoyanov, 28, Tsvetka Todorova, 53, and Patritsia Paneva, 27, said Judge David Aaronberg KC . .
Tsvetka Todorova. Photo: CPS
At Wood Green Crown Court in London, they were sentenced to a total of 25 years and five months in prison after pleading guilty to multiple crimes relating to fraud and money laundering.
They were all also warned they could be deported after serving their sentences and the judge acknowledged that “a huge amount of work” had been carried out by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to prosecute the gang.
Bundles of cash stuffed into shopping bags and suitcases were found during a raid on his properties, as well as a luxury car and designer watches, jackets and glasses, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
A gang member was also filmed throwing stacks of £20 notes into the air.
The gang supported their false benefits claims with a series of fake documents, including tenancy agreements, payslips and letters from landlords, employers, schools and GPs.
Benefit fraudsters throw money into the air
If the claims were rejected by the DWP, the gang would try again until they were accepted.
Investigators uncovered three “benefit factories” in London where they claimed to help people obtain national insurance numbers using “claim packs” of forged and false documents, the CPS said.
Patritsia Paneva. Photo: CPS
The court heard they also gave complainants tips on how to game the system.
After the claimants made their claims, they left them in the hands of the gang and then laundered the money through various bank accounts.
Ali and Nikolova were mainly responsible for the fraud.
The judge said the maximum sentence he could give them under current laws is 10 years, but added that he would give them credit for their guilty pleas, time served and other mitigating factors.
More from Sky News:
Images show the consequences of the shooting in London
Other conservative defects for work
Ali, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make false representations, possession of articles for use in fraud and possession of criminal property, was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison.
The judge told him: “You played a leading role in a scheme that was complex and sophisticated in nature. Your crimes lasted around four and a half years and you were involved in a large number of false statements.”
He had fled to Bulgaria following his arrest, but was extradited back to the UK in February 2023.
Keep up with the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Nikolova, who caused £25 million in losses to taxpayers, was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Todorova was sentenced to three years in prison but was due to be released on license on Thursday due to time already served in custody and house arrest.
In court, it emerged that Todorova and Nikolova had unsuccessfully attempted to flee the UK following their arrests in May 2021.
Paneva was 19 and earning £80 a day when she was recruited by gang leaders into the scheme. She was imprisoned for three years and two months.
Stoyanov was sentenced to four years in prison after also pleading guilty to multiple charges.
A surcharge order will be issued at a future confiscation hearing.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25514205/2152338347.jpg?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1)
