A civil servant has been jailed for four and a half years
after illegally using government computer systems to access the
personal records of benefit claimants in a £1.2m in tax credit
fraud.
John Brian Agdomar, from Hackey in East London, used his job as
a civil servant at the Department for Work and Pensions to
illegally access personal records, including dates of birth and
national insurance details.
Agdomar, who is believed to have accessed more than 2,500
records illegally, worked with an accomplice to hijack existing
claims for tax credits and divert the payments into a complex
network of bank accounts. The pair fabricated more than 1,400
fictitious children to claim the money.
A spokesperson for HM Revenue & Customs said, "This was no
victimless crime, but a calculated fraud involving a significant
amount of money. HMRC will not hesitate to seek prosecution where
we find instances of tax credit fraud."
Agomar was arrested in August under the Proceeds of Crime Act on
suspiscion of charges including conspiracy to commit fraud and
acquiring criminal property. He was jailed for four and half years
on Friday after pleading guilty.
His accomplice, Olanekan Omatayo Ogunmekan, a cleaner from
Bethnal Green, London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud
at Southwark Crown Court on 5 November last year. He was sentenced
to 52 months in jail and is serving another 30-month sentence for
failing to repay £162,652 by September 2009, as ordered by the
court.