10:17 am, September 22, 2014
A CAR dealer who also worked as a church pastor has been convicted of stealing more than £23k in a benefit fraud scam.
According to the Watford Observer, Anthony Oggunaike, 43, appeared before St Albans Crown Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to the charge of illegally receiving £23,769 in Housing & Council Tax Benefit between 2008 and 2012.
He was given a 14-week jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, and will have to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £250 in costs on top of an £80 victim surcharge. Oggunaike will have to pay back the £23k to Watford Borough Council too.
The fraud was discovered after council workers found bank statements showing payments made to Auto Trader and Blue Cycle Salvage.
Oggunaike spent nearly £68k on buying 84 vehicles between July 2007 and October 2009. He also had an additional income of £300 month for working as a church pastor.
The court was told he had admitted the offence early on and had co-operated fully with the probe.
