A gang of Nigerian fraudsters is facing jail for using the identities of British MPs, judges and police officers during a £10million scam.
The crew is accused of stealing personal details from the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC) to make fraudulent claims over a four-year period.
Member lists were “stolen to order” from CSSC and used to place orders for tax credit starter packs used in fraudulent claims over a four-year period
The gang managed to get away with nearly £2,500,000 before staff at Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs spotted the “extraordinarily high rate” of claims being made by civil servants.
If the scam had not been stopped it could have reaped more than £10,260,525.
CSSC events manager, Adedamola Oyebode, 30, stole membership lists and passed them on to her brothers-in-law, Oluwatobi Emmanuel Odeyemi, 34, and Oluwagbenga Stephen Odeyemi, 39, who ran the fraud with Kayode Sanni, 38.
Sanni, an illegal immigrant, denied being involved in the fraud and told Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey, jurors “my conscience is clear” as he stood trial alone on Tuesday, June 27, 2017.
But he was convicted of one count of conspiracy to become knowingly concerned in a fraudulent act between 10 March 2009 and 11 June 2013.
Judge Michael Topolski QC remanded him in custody and said: “I’m quite satisfied at this stage that there is a significant risk that if he were released on bail he would fail to attend.
“In my judgement, the situation has changed drastically.
“He chose to contest this matter against what I considered to be overwhelming evidence.
“His incentive to stay in this country has now diminished.”
Emmanuel Odeyemi, Gumbs and Adedamola Oyebode have already pleaded guilty and will be sentenced with Sanni at the Old Bailey on July 6.
Prosecutors have dropped charges against Emmanuel’s wife Oluwatosin Oyebode.
Prosecutor Allison Hunter QC said: ‘These defendants went to exceptionally complex and sophisticated lengths in their orchestration of this fraud.
‘They themselves operate under a number of fluid pseudonyms and false identities, operate a multiplicity of email address, have access to a number of mobile phone numbers and have spread the conduct of this fraud over computers and electronic storage devices sufficient to stock a small warehouse.’
Ms Hunter said the investigators began by identifying one of the multiple false tax credit claimants as Chantelle Gumbs, who has admitted her part in the scam.
The source of the stolen identity was traced to the CSSC in Chadwick Street, Westminster, where six staff had password protected access to members’ details.
Adedamola Oyebode, who worked for the CSSC between August 2008 and August 2010, has since admitted supplying lists of members and their details in return for payment.
She also made calls to the tax credit helpline to obtain application packs.
Further investigation revealed the fraudsters had used the details to create false identities, buy online insurance and open false bank accounts to receive the cash.
The profits of the scam were then transferred out into either their own accounts or through Western Union facilities set up by Sanni and Emmanuel Odeyemi.
Jurors were told that two of the gang, Stephen Odeyemi and his wife Oluwatumininu Banjo, 40, have fled to Nigeria and are wanted abroad.
Adedamola Oyebode, from Bellingham, southeast London, Stephen Odeyimi from Dagenham, Essex and Chantelle Gumbs, will be sentenced alongside him for fraud charges on 6 July at the Old Bailey.
Oluwatumininu Banjo, also from Dagenham, and Emmanuel Odeyemi, from Gravesend, Kent, are believed to be on the run in Nigeria.
