Royal Greenwich Prosecutes Charity Worker For Tenancy And Benefit Fraud

by our RBG Correspondent | Woolwich

Culprit Gets 16 Months Prison Sentence 

 
A charity worker has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for failing to declare that he owned his own home when accepting council accommodation, and claiming housing benefit from the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Mr Ademola Lojede, 34, of Reidhaven Road, Plumstead SE18 was brought to court after an investigation by the Royal Borough. In March 2003, Mr Lojede applied for housing with the Council, declaring that he lived with his mother and siblings and that he needed his own place due to overcrowding. In January 2009 an offer of accommodation was made to Mr Lojede and he confirmed that his circumstances had not changed and that he had no other accommodation to live in. He was granted the tenancy of a one bedroom flat in Sidcup Road, SE9.

In May 2011 Mr Lojede submitted a housing benefit application to the Royal Borough, declaring that he owned no property in the UK or abroad. Benefit was awarded to assist him paying his rent at the Sidcup Road property.

As a result of the Royal Borough’s commitment to ensure that landlords provide safe accommodation to tenants, the Council’s private rented sector enforcement team undertook a routine visit to a property in Reidhaven Road.

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Their enquiries into the landlord of the property, Mr Joseph Adebayo, identified that he was also known as Ademola Joseph Lojede and was linked to the tenancy at Sidcup Road. The matter was referred to the Council’s Internal Audit & Anti-Fraud team for further investigation.

Enquiries identified that in November 2005 Mr Lojede purchased a two bedroom house in Reidhaven Road and that he had failed to declare this to the Housing team when accepting the keys to the Sidcup Road property in January 2009. He also failed to declare to the Housing Benefit section that he owned this property, going on to receive a total of £19,342.91 in benefit payments during the period May 2011 to June 2015.

In June 2015 Mr Lojede was interviewed under caution by Royal Borough officers and admitted that he had purchased the Reidhaven Road property in 2005. However, he stated that he had purchased it on behalf of his brother, who was residing abroad. He stated that he had not declared he was the legal owner of the property on his benefit application as he believed he was simply the managing agent.

Mr Lojede was summonsed to appear at Bexley Magistrates Court in August 2015 for 5 offences: 1 Fraud Act offence for the housing matter and the resulting financial loss totalling £69,013.73; and 4 offences under the Social Security Administration Act offences for the benefit fraud totalling £19,342.91. Mr Lojede pleaded not guilty to all charges and the case was prepared for trial at the Crown Court.

On 6 October 2015 Mr Lojede appeared at Woolwich Crown Court and changed his plea to guilty to all charges.

At Woolwich Crown Court on 5 November 2015 Mr Lojede was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment for the housing fraud and 6 months concurrent imprisonment for the benefit fraud. He was also ordered to pay costs to the Royal Borough totalling £1,187.

The Royal Borough is now seeking the financial recovery of almost £70,000 from Mr Lojede as a result of the costs incurred for providing emergency accommodation to those in genuine need during the period that he deprived the Royal Borough of the use of the Sidcup Road property. He is also repaying the benefit he defrauded.
Councillor Maureen O’Mara (top left), Cabinet Member for Customer Services, said: “This is a good example of the council’s teams working together to prevent and identify fraud, which led to the discovery of Mr Lojede’s lies."

"He deprived the Royal Borough of much needed accommodation and benefits for those in genuine need. This jail sentence should act as a deterrent to anyone reading his story who is thinking of defrauding the Council, in any way, to think again: you will get caught, you risk your liberty, and you will have to repay all the money that you stole.”

If you suspect someone of committing fraud against the royal borough please call 0800 169 6975 or email fraud@royalgreenwich.gov.uk.If you have any concerns about the safety of privately rented accommodation please contact the enforcement programme team on 020 8921 8157 or

residentialservices@royalgreenwich.gov.uk.

Any information you give will be treated in confidence.