Ringleaders were executive officer grade civil servants
Abused authorised access to Department of Work and Pensions database to research claimants all over UK
Gang of eight, all Nigerian, 'hijacked identities'
Made fraudulent claims for tax credits, Jobseeker's Allowance and Sure Start Maternity Grants
They abused their authorised access to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) database to research claimants all over the country and make multiple fraudulent claims on their behalf, Croydon Crown Court heard.
Anthony Ekajeh, 48, of Rainham, Essex, received ten years; Fiayo Akinwumiju, 35, of Coulsdon, Surrey, was jailed for seven and a half years; and Olufemi Kehinde, 47, of Acton, west London, received five and a half years.
Three Jobcentre civil servants, who were the ringleaders of a £1.7m plot involving at least 1,767 bogus claims for maternity benefit, tax credit and Jobseeker's Allowance, were jailed for a total of 23 years today (file photo)
'It was public money for the most vulnerable in society and this conspiracy shows a massive amount of planning.'
Three co-conspirators, who were not employed by the Jobcentre, and jumped bail, each received five years.
They are Folahan Akinwumiju, 34, and Charles Okedare, 40, both from Enfield, north London; and Wale Akande, 45, of Willesden, north-west London.
A seventh defendant, Akinmayowe Aiyeola, 46, from Croydon, received six and a half years; while Akhigbe, 37, of Grays, Essex, received 12 months.
Neither of them were Jobcentre employees.
'This hijacking of identities is something that concerns society as a whole,' said Judge Baucher.
'These conspiracies were on a large scale, sophisticated and cleverly done.'
All eight are Nigerian, who have been either granted full British citizenship or the right to permanently reside in the UK and have fathered at least 18 children between them.
The gang abused their authorised access to the Department of Work and Pensions database to research claimants all over the country
'Their identities had been hijacked.
'A large number of claims were made for Sure Start Maternity Grants (SSMG) a one-off £500 payment to help persons on benefits or low income to buy clothes or equipment for their new baby,' added Mr. Evans.
A total of 1,562 bogus SSMG claims were made, plus 205 false claims to HMRC for tax credits and a lesser amount of Jobseeker claims, totalling £4,515.
If the conspiracy achieved 100 per cent success, it would have made £1,722,562.
In reality, more than £270,000 was obtained and a Proceeds of Crime Act investigation will follow.
The civil servants were all at executive officer grade and Ekajeh worked at Dagenham Jobcentre; Akinwumiju at Crawley and Kehinde at Fulham.
The vast majority of the false claims were paid into Post Office Card Accounts (POCA).
'They had also been opened in hijacked identities,' said Mr. Evans.
'The three absent defendants can be linked to SSMGs that were falsified or to the POCAs to which the benefit payments are made.
'Accounts were opened in their names or the names of their family or in one case a company under their control.'
Ekajeh was suspended in March 2010 after ten years in the civil service, where he also had a deputy management role and responsibility for the stock room, which contained blank claim forms.
'From July 2009, he carried out a large number of unauthorised searches outside the area of the Dagenham Jobcentre and in his last month searched 105 other offices around the country in relation to 1,600 clients.
'He played a key and principal role in these three frauds.
'He was also involved in yet another fraud, diverting payments of genuine Jobseeker claims,' said Mr Evans.
'He altered the bank details into which the payments should have been made.'
Fiayo Akinwumiju was suspended in August, 2009.
'In two weeks, he accessed 43 customers he had no legitimate reason to access.
'Shortly after, false SSMG claims were made in their identities. In one hour, he looked up 24 different benefit customers and 36 claims were made in the names of those customers.
'In a six-month period, 52 customers were accessed and false tax credit claims were made in their names.'
Kehinde was suspended on October 1, 2010. 'On three dates, he used the search facility to identify and access benefit customers all over the country and false SSMG claims were made in their identities.
'He also made searches in Bedford and yielded 15 customers and 21 claims were made in those names that were false.
'All the searches were carried out after 6pm when the office was closed. He also played a key role in the fraud.'
A DWP spokesperson said: 'We take internal and external fraud extremely seriously.
'It is looked into by professionally trained investigators and those caught are subject to disciplinary action, police are informed and we will prosecute.
'We have a Whistleblowers’ Hotline to enable staff to report suspicions of staff fraud and the National Fraud Benefit Hotline also refer cases of suspected staff benefit fraud.'
All the defendants, except Akhigbe, were convicted of conspiring between January 1, 2009 and October 2, 2010 to defraud the DWP out of £820,000.
Ekajeh, Fiayo Akinwumiju and Aiyeola alone were convicted of conspiring between November, 2005 and July, 2010 to defraud HMRC out of £898,000.
Ekajeh and Aiyeola alone were convicted of conspiring to defraud the DWP out of £4,515.
Akhigbe admitted five counts of fraud by false representation in relation to four SSMG claims and a community care claim.
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