A married couple who brazenly siphoned £628,000 from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) through fraudulent benefit claims have been sentenced. Steve and Kim Benstock had their case heard at Snaresbrook Crown Court after a 17-year scam that lasted from July 2002 to July 2019.
During their swindle, the couple enjoyed a "somewhat lavish lifestyle," taking holidays in Thailand and the Caribbean, and purchasing a holiday home in Fuerteventura, Spain. However, their fraudulent activities were uncovered following a joint investigation by the DWP and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Steve Benstock, aged 62, was jailed for five years after being found guilty of 12 counts, including obtaining a money transfer by deception, fraud offences, dishonestly failing to notify a change in circumstances, and cheating the public revenue. His wife, Kim, aged 69, received a nine-month sentence, suspended for a year, after being found guilty of seven counts relating to housing benefit, council tax benefit, and capital gains tax evasion across two properties. She was acquitted of charges related to income tax and National Insurance evasion.
The court heard that Steve committed a total of £253,713.18 in benefits fraud, which, combined with tax fraud, resulted in total gains of £539,691.10. Kim committed £61,933.08 of benefit fraud, with total gains of £88,340.08 when including tax offences. The total fraud amounted to £628,031.18.
Kim, who lives with rheumatoid arthritis and receives round-the-clock care from her husband, was lawfully in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA).
Sentencing the couple from Essex, Judge Franklin stated: "From July 2002 to July 2019, you both received state benefits after obtaining them dishonestly. This money was set aside to help the most vulnerable in society, and it was greed on both your parts that led you to divert these funds."
DWP and Labour Party minister Andrew Western commented: "This is a stark example of the kind of brazen fraud that this Government is determined to root out. While the Benstocks were acting like Monopoly tycoons - collecting rental income from the comfort of lavish properties with outdoor pools - they were helping themselves to benefits they had absolutely no right to. The game is now up and this case should be a warning to others that the DWP is ramping up its efforts, working closely with partner agencies like HMRC, to identify and prosecute fraudsters."
