Four suspected fraudsters, who are Nigerians, are
being prosecuted for allegedly using the identities of
civil servants to commit a £10million scam in the
United Kingdom.
The accused were said to have stolen personal details
from the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC), to make
fraudulent claims over a four-year period.
Member lists were ‘stolen to order’ from CSSC and
used to place orders for tax credit starter packs.
The gang, which reportedly made about £2,500,000,
would have got away with £10,260,525 if staff at Her
Majesty’s Revenue and Customs had not discovered
the high rate of claims being made by civil servants.
Adedamola Oyebisi, 30, CSSC events manager, was
accused of stealing membership lists and passing
them on to her brothers-in-law Oluwatobe Emmanuel
Odeyemi, 34, and Oluwagbenga Stephen Odeyemi, 39,
who allegedly ran the fraud with Kayode Sanni, 38.
According to Dailymail, that Sanni, an illegal
immigrant, denied being involved in the fraud and told
Old Bailey jurors ‘my conscience is clear’.
However, he was convicted of one count of conspiracy
to become knowingly concerned in a fraudulent act
between March 10, 2009, and June 11, 2013.
“I’m quite satisfied at this stage that there is a
significant risk that if he were released on bail he
would fail to attend,” Michael Topolski, the judge
presiding over the case, said.
“In my judgement, the situation has changed
drastically.
“He chose to contest this matter against what I
considered to be overwhelming evidence.
“His incentive to stay in this country has now
diminished.”
Emmanuel Odeyemi and Adedamole Oyebode have
already pleaded guilty and will be sentenced with
Sanni at the Old Bailey on July 6.
Charges have been dropped against Oluwatosin
Oyebisi, Emmanuel’s wife.
The prosecutor, Allison Hunter, a Queens counsel said:
“These defendants went to exceptionally complex and
sophisticated lengths in their orchestration of this
fraud.
“They themselves operate under a number of fluid
pseudonyms and false identities, operate a multiplicity
of email address, have access to a number of mobile
phone numbers and have spread the conduct of this
fraud over computers and electronic storage devices
sufficient to stock a small warehouse.”
Hunter said investigators began by identifying one of
the multiple false tax credit claimants as Chantelle
Gumbs, who has admitted her part in the scam.
The source of the stolen identity was traced to the
CSSC in Chadwick Street, Westminster, where six staff
had password protected access to members’ details.
Oyebode, who worked for the CSSC between August
2008 and August 2010, has admitted that she
supplied lists of members and their details in return for
payment.
She also made calls to the tax credit helpline to obtain
application packs.
Investigation also revealed that the alleged fraudsters
used the details to create false identities, buy online
insurance and open false bank accounts to receive the
cash.
Proceeds were then transferred into either their own
accounts or through Western Union facilities set up by
Sanni and Emmanuel Odeyemi.
Jurors were told that Stephen Odeyemi and his wife,
Oluwatumininu Banjo, have fled to Nigeria and are
wanted abroad.
Oluwatumininu Banjo and Emmanuel Odeyemi are
believed to be on the run in Nigeria.
TheCable
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