Benefits cheats who masterminded a £188,000 fraud after being granted asylum to stay in Britain have been jailed.
Mother-of-two Nicole Mwamba and her second husband William Kapuya kept their marriage a secret to illegally claim benefits on four properties for eight years.
The couple, from the Congo, also rented out one of the homes, dodged council tax, and fraudulently claimed both disability and income support.
Jailed: Nicole Mwamba, 47, and her second husband William Kapuya, also 47, have been jailed for claiming benefits on four properties in south London and Surrey as well as disability allowance and income support
It came after Nicole Mwamba, 47, and her first husband were granted political asylum in the UK on the grounds that he had been persecuted for his political beliefs.
The couple claimed all his property and savings were confiscated in their native country.
However, after he died his assets were all transferred to Ms Mwamba's account in the UK.
Unemployed Ms Mwamba started receiving housing benefits in 1998, claiming to have no savings or assets.
But in November 2004, she posed as an executive earning £42,000-a-year to land a mortgage on a two-bedroom house in Selhurst.
She paid for the £18,000 deposit on the home - now worth £262,000 - using her illegally-claimed housing benefits.
Later, she rented out the property and moved into an address secretly owned by her doctor brother in Upper Norwood, south east London - where she filed another benefits claim.
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Assets: Mwamba posed as an executive to land a mortgage on a two-bedroom house in Selhurst (left) before renting it out, claiming further benefits at her brother's house, and buying a London house with Kapuya (right)
Lies: Mwamba was granted asylum in the UK with her first husband who claimed he had been persecuted for his political beliefs and stripped of all assets. But when he died, all his savings were transferred to her account
Failing to declare a change in circumstances, she then bought a £280,000 home in Caterham, Surrey, with her current husband Mr Kapuya.
She told lenders she was a £57,000-a-year finance director befor eputting down a £27,000 cash deposit.
Meanwhile, Mr Kapuya, 47, also claimed housing benefit at their Caterham home - as well as at a house in Brixton, south east London, and at another property in Purley, south London.
He also fraudulently claimed severe disability allowance.
The couple boosted their sizeable income with £736-a-month from the French welfare system via a Congolese friend in Belgium.
And thousands of pounds of income support was paid into the account of Ms Mwamba's 15-year-old daughter.
Mwamba was jailed for two-and-a-half years at Croydon Crown Court on Monday. Kapuya received a 14-month sentence.
Prosecutor Miss Francesca Levett told the court: 'This case involves a number of identities and addresses and throughout her claims Mwamba said she had no savings or capital.
'She was keen to keep these two identities appart. This was a calculated and contrived decision by Mwamba to only give the Department and Work and Pensions (DWP) the information she wanted them to know.'
'As a benefit claimant she was poor and needy, but as a mortgage applicant she was successful and employed.
'Mwamba has never worked and she needed to pay her mortgage somehow.'culled
*Wow! Wow!! Wow!!!
These idiots keep spoiling Africans in diaspora with their greed and selfishness. Smh. Serves them right.
ReplyDeleteWow!greedy couple,serves them right!
DeleteThis is just a tip off the iceberg. Most Africans in the UK, especially Nigerians, always have something dodgy/fraudulent/criminal/illegal going on about them. That is why police and security services target us, and use any opportunity to arrest us so that they can search our cars/houses/storage and run checks on us. 9 tines out of 10, they come up with something.
DeleteNigerians never like paying their way. Always looking for ways to avoid, evade, get something on the cheap, get something for nothing and so forth. We want fraudulent activities to pay for childcare, our mortgage, investment, car payments, shopping, everything. We want to be hanging out and enjoying till early hours of the morning and sleep till midday, while other people will be waking up 5am in the morning to jump bus and tube to work. Shuo! Na only us waka come?!!
I used to be like that 10yrs ago. Not being married to my wife legally, different ID's, dressing like a tramp to go and sign on, housing benefit paying for my mortgage, withdrawing cash daily/weekly from fraudulent activities making sure about CCTV etc etc. My mind never at rest, children began to ask awkward questions, wife always on edge asking me when she'll be able to answer my name etc. I decided to regularise myself. I just vex one day go marry my wife for court and stopped everything. I slowly decoupled myself from everything. Of course I lost property, had to move kids from private school and almost had to declare bankruptcy, but we survived. We are still surviving.
Stella, nah their way for uk o, they claim all sorts of benefits.
ReplyDeleteWow! Wow!! Wow!!!
ReplyDeleteHMmmmmmmm.............
ReplyDeleteGbam ! Gbam!! Gbam!!!
ReplyDeleteGbam ! Gbam!! Gbam!!!
ReplyDeleteActually there is absolutely nothing men can't do for money
ReplyDeleteYour comment will be visible after approval
Too bad
ReplyDeleteOwkay...njoy ur stay in jail handsome man nd beautiful woman
ReplyDeleteOwkay...njoy ur stay in jail handsome man nd beautiful woman
ReplyDeleteWow..... Shak!
ReplyDeleteEvils !!!
ReplyDeleteThe UK benefit and judiciary system is a joke. Were these crime commited in the states this couple would have been bagging a minimum of 30years in jail. There are little or no background checks when granting benefits in this country. People just keep abusing the system. I know of a bunch of people who are claiming benefits but are in employment. In fact even some from the EU just come apply for benefit while they return to their countries then use cheap coaches like the £1 bus from Paris to London every two weeks to sign at job centers as if they live in Britain. I work my asses off only for the tax man to dole it out to scroungers like this couple. Sadly they will be out in less than a year and left to continue their evil. The present system needs overhauling. Nuff said!
ReplyDeletethat goes to show that the system is not as perfect as it's painted to be.
DeleteI dey tell you. The UK system can be eaily manipulated, everything goes in Britain unlike the way they want to portray to the world they are perfect. From drugs, credit card fraud, benefits fraud, insurance etc is a safe heaven. The number of immigrants who are feeling reluctant to work keeps growing by the day coz there are always loopholes to take advantage of. Its a free country so I blame no one but the system. But just like they say 99days for the thief and one day for the owner so one must get caught someday. And if caught no way to bribe your way out though unlike Nigeria where only the poor go to prison.
DeleteShut up who has ever painted the system perfect? It's those of you who have never travel that paint it perfect.... Whatever they try and at least they are caught somehow someday....
DeleteMr.C,you're correct and they do catch them.i worked for the DWP before moving on and the things I saw and handled beggars belief! However,the private investigators make a killing from fishing them out....the system isn't perfect but way better than home.
DeleteGreedy mama
ReplyDeleteMtchew.
ReplyDeleteShe is lucky to get just two years.
No be new thing na.. They should payback all that benefits theyve been claiming and then send them back to congo. Some africans and their greed kaii!!! In Linda eze's voice Oriegwu lolz
ReplyDeleteAlmost all Africans are victims of dis in Western countries. Oyinbo don dey open eye ooooooo hian.
ReplyDeleteMake I copy u. Wow! Wow!! Wow!!!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I'm glad about in this story is that it's not Nigerians again .....phew!!!
ReplyDeleteSee this is serious greediness. Bet why tho, been on benefits is nothing to even boast about. I'm on benefits and I'm ashamed to say it tbh cuz av worked all my life and my mum instilled hard work into me. As soon as my baby is born I'm going back to work when he is 1years old. I need my career, I don't want government money but have to take it for now due to circumstances. I got into this situation due lack of jobs in the uk and I'm a masters holder.
ReplyDeleteIncome support is nothing to write home about. Baba God please open doors for me after my baby is born and bless me with a good job. AMEN
No worries hun, your case is a different one so you have no reason to feel ashame. The benefits system is meant for the likes of you who are on temporal unemployment, disable persons, nursing mom and the likes. I know its shameful to admit it. I had reason to claim benefits for few months until I decided to set up a biz and end of. But unlike you who's ashame some flaunts it shamelessly. Good luck with the birth of your little creature still in the womb.
DeleteTrue that Mr C,it's a support system and really has helped loads of hard working people who got hit by some hard time.new mum in waiting,you'll be okay and look at other options in Europe outside England .
DeleteLOLSSSSS....Africa my Africa, There hurstle dn land dem for Jail, smart couples no be only Naija get bad people, bad name and bad news....hahahaha i pray d temper justice with mercy for dem.
ReplyDeleteThank God they are not Nigerians this time.
ReplyDeleteEniyan dudu, inu dudu (black person with bad/black behavior). All the properties should be seized as well as all cash accounts, no need for story.
ReplyDeleteWhen people exploit a system designed to support the poor and less able, smh. I'm sure they'll have enough time in jail to think about what they did.
ReplyDeleteClick my name for all your celebration cakes and cupcakes, cheers
Hian! Some people can lie sha! They should have given them longer jail terms, it's people like these that give law abiding non-eu immigrants a bad name.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! *sipsgreentea*
ReplyDeleteEveryday for the thief, one day for the owner. The extent to which people go to pull off these elaborate schemes!
ReplyDeleteHow about working hard and earning an honest living?
Britain and their lax benefits system, though! This scam has been on for at least 16 years! People just free-loading off the system.
That's one of the causes of their many social problems.
Anyway...!
Thank God its not 'Nigerian couple' this time around. I don tire for Naija disgrace
ReplyDeleteThe UK benefit and judiciary system is a joke. Were these crime commited in the states this couple would have been bagging a minimum of 30years in jail. There are little or no background checks when granting benefits in this country. People just keep abusing the system. I know of a bunch of people who are claiming benefits but are in employment. In fact even some from the EU just come apply for benefit while they return to their countries then use cheap coaches like the £1 bus from Paris to London every two weeks to sign at job centers as if they live in Britain. I work my asses off only for the tax man to dole it out to scroungers like this couple. Sadly they will be out in less than a year and left to continue their evil. The present system needs overhauling. Nuff said!
ReplyDeleteYou can work and claim benefits ,it's not a crime. Please educate yourself on the benefits you can claim even whilst in employment you just have to check your eligibility. That being said,Pele o. The tax man no dey think twice before helping themselves from our hard earned money,we are all in it together. God help us
DeleteAnon1.50pm. God bless for that you won't only survive you will live a very fruitful prosperous life ijn. Crime doesn't pay . Beta a little in peace than live in fear .
ReplyDeleteTHIEVES!
ReplyDelete