Two benefit fraudsters were “named and shamed” as one was handed an 18-month suspended prison sentence for a brazen £38,000 scam.
The pair were convicted as part of a crackdown on benefit fraud by the Department of Communities (DfC) in Northern Ireland.
Lisa Magee, 35, of Lodge Meadows, Hilltown, Newry, was convicted after she was found to have been falsely claiming Universal Credit while failing to declare her joint living arrangements.
She was discovered to have collected a total of £38,388 in fraudulent payments following an investigation by the DfC.
Ms Magee was handed an 18-month prison sentence, which was suspended for a period of two years.
In addition, she will also be required to repay any outstanding money that was wrongfully obtained.
A County Tyrone man was also named as part of the DfC’s crackdown.
Graham Curry, 35, of Leckpatrick Gardens, Strabane, was found guilty of claiming £3,002 in benefits while failing to declare an income.
Two individuals were ‘named and shamed’ for benefits fraud at Newry Crown Court
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He was handed a £500 fine plus a £15 offender’s levy.
Mr Curry has also been ordered to repay any money he had wrongfully obtained.
It comes as ministers announced plans to recruit 5,000 new investigators to pursue benefit fraudsters earlier this month.
The initiative forms part of sweeping reforms that promise to recover £9.6billion over five years, according to Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) projections.
The move was part of a crackdown on frudsterd by Northern Ireland’s Department for Communities
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DEPARTMENT FOR COMMUNITIES
Andrew Western, the parliamentary under-secretary for work and pensions, declared the Government would “bear down” on anyone “ripping off the public purse”, whether through benefit fraud or tax evasion.
This month, a woman from Barrow who failed to declare two pensions while claiming Universal Credit was handed a suspended prison sentence.
Valerie Bartlett, 63, appeared at Preston Crown Court, where she was found to have defrauded the taxpayer of £18,250 between December 2018 and June 2023.
She was sentenced to nine months in custody, reduced from 12 months because of her guilty plea.
