An ID thief who stole over 350 people’s identities, and claimed more than £1.3m in tax credits under false names, has been jailed for eight and a half years.
Olaide (John) Taiwo, a security guard from Camberwell, London, was jailed at a sentencing hearing at Inner London Crown Court on Tuesday, after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit tax credit fraud and acquiring criminal property.
Along with his female accomplice, Olajumoke Ademuyiwa, who faces a sentencing in April, he was found guilty of conspiring to steal the IDs of at least 350 people before submitting more than 300 fraudulent tax credit claims.
Ademuyiwa, 42, of Canning Town, London, abused her position as a Jobcentre Plus employee to obtaining the details of low-income people who might be eligible for tax credit repayments. These payments were directed towards accounts controlled by Taiwo and Ademuyiwa.
Taiwo was arrested in August 2010 after a two-year scam. HMRC investigators seized “details of numerous bank accounts held in the defendants’ names and aliases, plus documentation which held hundreds of innocent people’s identities”. Investigators also seized £70,000 as suspected proceeds of crime pending the conclusion of confiscation proceedings, which remain ongoing.
Richard Young, senior investigating officer for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), said: “The sentences given will be a warning to anyone considering committing this type of fraud – it will not be tolerated. HMRC will pursue, prosecute and reclaim the financial gain from those found to commit these types of crime.”
