0:00:02 > 0:00:05In this country the money we pay as taxes goes to provide essential
0:00:05 > 0:00:07services that we rely upon every day.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10And it's also there to give us a safety net
0:00:10 > 0:00:13if things go wrong or life takes an unexpected turn.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17This help comes as vital support that improves lives.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19At one point, I just thought, "This is it.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21"I can't do this no more."
0:00:21 > 0:00:24But there are some people who see that money
0:00:24 > 0:00:27as something they deserve, even when they don't.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Clearly she was able to make significant profit.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36This is the world of Saints and Scroungers.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02Saints and Scroungers shines a light on those in the benefits system.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05On one side, we've got the deserving,
0:01:05 > 0:01:07on the other, the self-serving.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Every day across the UK,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13teams of investigators identify and bring fraudsters to justice,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16while the saints make sure those in need
0:01:16 > 0:01:18get whatever they're entitled to.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Coming up on today's show...
0:01:25 > 0:01:28a multi-agency raid on a fraudster
0:01:28 > 0:01:30hiding behind multiple personalities.
0:01:30 > 0:01:31There's no explanation
0:01:31 > 0:01:34that somebody should have that amount of cash in a safe
0:01:34 > 0:01:36when they're on benefits.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39And a young lad just trying to get a head start.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41I was really down.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43I just thought to myself, "I need a job."
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Trying to bring up kids is tough.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55Trying to do it by yourself makes a hard job even harder.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57But then, luckily, there is financial support
0:01:57 > 0:02:01for people trying to bring up kids on their own, and it's there
0:02:01 > 0:02:05so that there is a roof over their head and food on the table.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10One single dad from Essex may have just forgotten that.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13And there's a range of support available for single parents,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15from Income Support to Housing Benefit.
0:02:15 > 0:02:21So, take Olasupo Ahmed Ogunsanya - mercifully just known as Ahmed.
0:02:21 > 0:02:22When his wife gave birth,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25he probably thought his life was complete.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28He probably never expected her to up sticks four months later,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30disappear to South Africa
0:02:30 > 0:02:34and leave him to bring up their newborn baby alone.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37As a stay-at-home single dad, this network of benefits
0:02:37 > 0:02:40was something that Ahmed desperately needed.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45So, in 2006, he applied to the Department of Work and Pensions
0:02:45 > 0:02:47for Income Support.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51And they paid it, and because of this,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53he was also entitled to Housing Benefit
0:02:53 > 0:02:56from Thurrock Council to help.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00But it's the duty of the council to check that all the details tally.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06This Ahmed Ogunsanya's first claim with Thurrock Council
0:03:06 > 0:03:10was in July 2006, when he made a claim for himself
0:03:10 > 0:03:11and his four-month-old daughter
0:03:11 > 0:03:14for a property in Chalk Court, which is in Grays.
0:03:14 > 0:03:19The total amount of benefit he was getting per week was about £209.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22In August 2007, Ahmed and his daughter
0:03:22 > 0:03:25moved house and he transferred his benefits claims
0:03:25 > 0:03:31to the new address - Colman Close, Stanford-le-Hope, Essex.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35While processing the paperwork for Ahmed's new address,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38some discrepancies were noted on the electoral register,
0:03:38 > 0:03:43so a representative from Thurrock Council decided to follow it up.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46It was when the visiting officer went out to see him
0:03:46 > 0:03:49that she became suspicious for a number of reasons.
0:03:49 > 0:03:54The first was that the electoral register had come back showing names
0:03:54 > 0:03:58on the claim that weren't known to us at the claim address.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01It seems that as well as Ahmed, another two people
0:04:01 > 0:04:04were registered as living at this single-occupancy address -
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Malcolm Jones and Hazel Ogunsanya.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Hold on, Ogunsanya...
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Yeah, I've heard that before.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14When she went to knock the door,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17the door was answered by a woman who claimed to be a baby-sitter
0:04:17 > 0:04:20who'd travelled from Milton Keynes to look after his child,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23which didn't seem to make a lot of sense economically,
0:04:23 > 0:04:24or in any other way.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26And by the look of the car in the driveway,
0:04:26 > 0:04:30this baby-sitter wasn't in need of pocket money.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39When they went to the property on the first occasion,
0:04:39 > 0:04:43there was two high-value vehicles parked on the drive.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Now, for somebody that's on a low income,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50or on some form of benefits, it's quite difficult to afford them,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54and it kind of highlights to them that there may be a problem.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56She maintained she was a friend, a baby-sitter,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58and she had travelled from Milton Keynes
0:04:58 > 0:05:00to look after the child.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03I suppose you would need a car... But it does seem a bit odd.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Yes, it was fairly quick with background checks
0:05:06 > 0:05:09that are normally done at the start of an investigation.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10The initial inquiries are made
0:05:10 > 0:05:15with regards to credit reference agencies, land registry checks,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17electoral registry checks,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20which come out on the credit checks as well.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24And land registry checks showed that the Ahmeds' landlady
0:05:24 > 0:05:25was a Miss Matanki.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Maybe she might be able to shed some light on the situation.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32The finances that were going through the property
0:05:32 > 0:05:37related mostly to Hazel Matanki.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42So hold your horses - Miss Matanki, the landlady...
0:05:42 > 0:05:45was called Hazel?
0:05:45 > 0:05:48And the woman on the electoral roll is Hazel Ogunsanya?
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Bit of a coincidence, isn't it?
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Anyway, back to the finances.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56The amount of income that was going through them,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58when we did the financial checks,
0:05:58 > 0:06:00was clearly not what they'd declared.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05Hazel Matanki also had no other links to any other property...
0:06:05 > 0:06:07financially.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10OK, so...we've got Ahmed -
0:06:10 > 0:06:13a single father living alone with his daughter.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15We've got a Hazel Matanki,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18she's the owner of Colman Close, who doesn't live there
0:06:18 > 0:06:21and doesn't appear to own another property.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Don't know where she lives, in fact.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Then we've got Hazel Ogunsanya,
0:06:25 > 0:06:30who, according to the electoral roll lives at Colman Close but shouldn't,
0:06:30 > 0:06:34and might be either a wife or sister of Ahmed.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37And then there's Malcolm Jones.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39No idea who he is at all.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43But he is the third person listed on the electoral roll.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47We knew about Hazel Matanki as the landlady only.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50There was no links to her being Hazel Ogunsanya.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Hazel Ogunsanya was linked to the address
0:06:54 > 0:06:56but there was actually one year, to the day,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00difference in date of birth, which was highly unusual.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03You're telling me. Same first name, same birthday.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06And what the fraud team discovers next
0:07:06 > 0:07:08makes the mystery deepen even further.
0:07:08 > 0:07:14Hazel Ogunsanya and Ahmed Ogunsanya had a joint bank account together,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17which kind of arouses suspicion as to,
0:07:17 > 0:07:21why would you have that with a relative that lives elsewhere?
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Since he had made his claim
0:07:23 > 0:07:26for Housing Benefit and council tax benefit,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28there was stuff that had been applied for
0:07:28 > 0:07:30during that period of time
0:07:30 > 0:07:32that would indicate she was still at the property.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35The information that we'd obtained
0:07:35 > 0:07:38from the start of the investigation led me to believe
0:07:38 > 0:07:40that they were one of the same.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Hazel Ogunsanya and Hazel Matanki were one of the same.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Well, that explains that little mystery,
0:07:46 > 0:07:52but I reckon we need to find out who this Hazel Matanki/Ogunsanya is.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54So, let's start with Ogunsanya.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Hazel had started claiming benefit from us in August 2009
0:07:59 > 0:08:02at another property, and the checks that we made on her
0:08:02 > 0:08:06threw up the fact that she was linked,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09associated through finances, with Ahmed.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11She claimed to be a single woman,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14with no children, unemployed, claiming benefit.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17She was identified during the investigation,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19and was also linked to the claim address in Coleman Close.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22OK, so, what about the Matanki alias?
0:08:22 > 0:08:26Hazel Matanki was registered
0:08:26 > 0:08:28as living at Blackshots Lane in Grays,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32which is where her claim for Housing Benefit, council tax benefit
0:08:32 > 0:08:34and Jobseeker's Allowance was registered.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39Oh. So, one Hazel in two addresses, and two lots of benefits.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42There are more questions than answers.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Land Registry checks on Blackshots Lane
0:08:45 > 0:08:49showed that the property was owned by what appeared to be
0:08:49 > 0:08:52a member of Ahmed Ogunsanya's family.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57There's no reason why Ahmed Ogunsanya
0:08:57 > 0:09:00would have his landlady living at his parents' address.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03When you've got that amount of evidence,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06you then have to look at what steps you can take
0:09:06 > 0:09:08to push the matter forward,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11and where you need that final piece of evidence from.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18So, Ahmed, the dumped single dad relying on benefits
0:09:18 > 0:09:20to feed his baby girl.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25I'm not sure that washes any more.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30So, what IS the relationship between Ahmed and his landlady, Hazel?
0:09:30 > 0:09:33I reckon someone might have to pay Ahmed - and Hazel -
0:09:33 > 0:09:34another little visit.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36We made the application for
0:09:36 > 0:09:41an arrest and search of both properties simultaneously.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Next, we meet some of the thousands of men and women
0:09:48 > 0:09:52all over the UK who are too proud to ask for benefits -
0:09:52 > 0:09:55and the people who help them to claim what they deserve.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57In our eyes, they're all saints.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05When you've been around the block a few times,
0:10:05 > 0:10:09it's easy to forget how daunting it can be to look for your first job.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Every setback can feel like a slap in the face,
0:10:12 > 0:10:14and every hurdle can appear huge -
0:10:14 > 0:10:17as one teenager knows only too well.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22My name's Christian Gonzalez.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26I'm 18 years old and I live in Tulse Hill, south London.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31Christian left school with a clutch of GCSEs and an A2 in Spanish,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34but his plans after that differed from those of his parents.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37I basically wanted to earn money. My parents always thought that,
0:10:37 > 0:10:41that you had to go to uni to be, basically, successful.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45So, I tried to make them think differently, as in,
0:10:45 > 0:10:47I could be doing an apprenticeship,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49earning money and learning at the same time.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51I always wanted to earn my money,
0:10:51 > 0:10:55because I was getting...growing tired of asking my parents for money.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57As hard as he tried to stand on his own two feet
0:10:57 > 0:11:00and begin an apprenticeship, the level of competition
0:11:00 > 0:11:04made Christian totally demoralised.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07I went for an apprenticeship in a big company.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11And that's when I saw that, well,
0:11:11 > 0:11:16the people there had qualifications left, right and centre.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19When it came to my introduction, obviously I felt like a...
0:11:19 > 0:11:22like a fool, basically.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25A year after leaving college, and still no prospect of work,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28he was losing hope. But with help from his family,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31he started to put his plan for the future into place.
0:11:31 > 0:11:36My auntie took me to Brixton, and she took me into the Connections.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39So I spoke to a lady, and she was offering
0:11:39 > 0:11:42a business and administration apprenticeship.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47She gave me the offer of £75 a week. and I'd be getting a qualification.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50So I jumped at the opportunity.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55An NVQ, the very qualification Christian needed
0:11:55 > 0:11:58to secure his future.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Part of the apprenticeship was a work placement,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04but no sooner had it started than the whole thing stopped.
0:12:06 > 0:12:07Why?
0:12:07 > 0:12:10The second week back, they said that
0:12:10 > 0:12:12the Government just stopped, like,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14"They're not giving us any more funding."
0:12:14 > 0:12:16So, with almost no notice at all,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18the apprenticeship that you're following,
0:12:18 > 0:12:23that you've given your time to and committed to, disappears.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25'With such a massive knock-back,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28'Christian's confidence was at an all-time low.'
0:12:30 > 0:12:35I was really down - lazy, um, not bothered, basically.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39And just needed, basically, er, to get a job.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42I'd hear my parents having arguments about it,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45like in the morning - "This boy, he needs to get out of his bed.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48"He needs to go find a job. It's ridiculous." Like,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52"He's not staying. He's going to go clean some toilets or something
0:12:52 > 0:12:55"if that's the case, because he's not staying unemployed."
0:12:55 > 0:12:57At the end of her tether,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Christian's mum took control of the situation.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04She said, "Look, I've found a Connections magazine,
0:13:04 > 0:13:05"and it says, er...
0:13:05 > 0:13:09"'Family mosaic, Pathways to Work, apprentices needed.'"
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Another advert, another glimmer of hope,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14but with a string of rejections behind him,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16would Christian have the confidence and skills
0:13:16 > 0:13:19to stand out from the crowd?
0:13:19 > 0:13:21We've been offering apprentices
0:13:21 > 0:13:23as part of our employment service for the last seven years.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26It's a level two, which is equivalent to five GCSEs.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29It's giving them the opportunity to get those qualifications
0:13:29 > 0:13:30but in a way that suits them,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33and also while they're able to earn a wage, as well.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Brilliant. But I don't quite get it.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39They ARE a housing association, right?
0:13:40 > 0:13:43So, first and foremost, we're providing homes for people,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47and going beyond that, we really want to support the community.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48So we have a youth academy,
0:13:48 > 0:13:50we have older people's befriending services,
0:13:50 > 0:13:54we have the employment arm, we have benefit maximisation.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Which sounds just like what Christian needed.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Maybe, at last, his luck was about to change.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02He got an interview - great news!
0:14:02 > 0:14:05But with so many bad experiences in the past,
0:14:05 > 0:14:07how was this one going to go?
0:14:07 > 0:14:09They interviewed me,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12and I asked questions that I learnt from my past experience
0:14:12 > 0:14:14and, yeah, it went well.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16I shook his hand,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19and he said, "Yeah, welcome to the team. We've accepted you
0:14:19 > 0:14:23"if you want to accept the job." "Definitely."
0:14:23 > 0:14:26After all the setbacks you'd had before that,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28that must've been a fantastic moment.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32Not so much for me. Well, yeah - I was proud for myself,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35but I was more proud when I saw my parents' reaction.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38My auntie, as well.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40He's not here, necessarily, for the salary.
0:14:40 > 0:14:41He knows he needs a qualification.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44And in a year's time, he'll have a glowing CV
0:14:44 > 0:14:46and he'll be able to go out into the workforce
0:14:46 > 0:14:48and hopefully get an excellent job.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51Tell me about your mum and dad. What do they think of this?
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Really happy for me.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56They always show off to their friends, saying,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58"Look, my son's working here."
0:14:58 > 0:15:00They show off the Connections Magazine, like,
0:15:00 > 0:15:02"Look - he's on the front cover!"
0:15:02 > 0:15:06When I see them doing that, it makes me feel chuffed.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08THEY LAUGH
0:15:08 > 0:15:13So where would Christian be now if he hadn't got this apprenticeship?
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Maybe he would have found something else.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17But maybe he would have become so discouraged
0:15:17 > 0:15:19that he would've thought,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22"Actually, there is no place in the workforce for me."
0:15:22 > 0:15:25As it is, he's gaining the confidence and the experience
0:15:25 > 0:15:29he needs to move forward, and that's got to be a good thing.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37So take one dumped dad, one runaway wife
0:15:37 > 0:15:39and what have you got?
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Well, if you're a Thurrock investigator,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44potentially a string of fraudulent benefit claims.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Ahmed Ogunsanya had been claiming Income Support and Housing Benefit
0:15:49 > 0:15:52for a year when he decided to move.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54While processing his renewed claim,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57the council officers noticed that three people were registered
0:15:57 > 0:16:01to vote from that address - one was a woman who shared the same surname.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Further investigations revealed that Ahmed Ogunsanya
0:16:06 > 0:16:08shared a bank account with this same woman.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Their suspicions were aroused,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16so a verification officer was dispatched to check it out.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19He'd been claiming initially since July 2006.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22This continued through two addresses.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26Initially, it was based on him being in receipt of Income Support.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28This was then stopped
0:16:28 > 0:16:31and he declared that he was in receipt of a low income.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34£95 a week as a personal trainer.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40There was undisclosed amounts being paid into the accounts
0:16:40 > 0:16:44that hadn't been told to us. When somebody's declaring
0:16:44 > 0:16:48that they're in receipt of £95 a week in self-employment,
0:16:48 > 0:16:53then you kind of wonder where all these other amounts of income's coming in from.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Living beyond their means,
0:16:57 > 0:17:01with regards to their Sky subscription etc.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03You know - 80-odd quid a month going out through that -
0:17:03 > 0:17:07you then have to work out, well, how are they paying for all this,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10when they have vehicles going out
0:17:10 > 0:17:13that they've got HP agreements on for over £300 a month?
0:17:13 > 0:17:15It all adds up.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18£300 a month? Well, 95 quid a week
0:17:18 > 0:17:21isn't going to cover that little lot!
0:17:21 > 0:17:28We made the application for an arrest and search of both properties simultaneously.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32We had two teams set up - one at Blackshots Lane, in Grays,
0:17:32 > 0:17:37and the other at Colman Close in Stanford-le-Hope,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41and both were entered at approximately the same time.
0:17:41 > 0:17:46We entered Colman Close at approximately 7.30 in the morning.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Ahmed Ogunsanya and Hazel Matanki came down from upstairs...
0:17:50 > 0:17:53What...together?
0:17:53 > 0:17:57So after all this, Hazel IS Ahmed's wife?
0:17:57 > 0:17:58..and you could clearly see
0:17:58 > 0:18:00that there were some high-value items in the property.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05One of the doors had actually been blocked off by a 50" plasma screen...
0:18:07 > 0:18:08..fitted kitchen...
0:18:09 > 0:18:11..plush carpets...
0:18:12 > 0:18:14It's only a two-bedroom property.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18There was a child's bed in one of the rooms
0:18:18 > 0:18:20and a double bed in the other room,
0:18:20 > 0:18:25so I would definitely say they were living there as a couple.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30You mean they'd been living together all this time?
0:18:30 > 0:18:32I can understand that with two lots of benefits,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34you can afford a little bit extra,
0:18:34 > 0:18:39but I'm not sure it covers these sorts of luxuries.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42As we entered the property, the police entered,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45explained that they were both being arrested for possible benefit fraud,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47and no comments were made by either of them.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49No comment.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51'Something else to hide?'
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Two safes were found in the property.
0:18:53 > 0:18:54One was in the child's bedroom
0:18:54 > 0:18:58and the other was in the airing cupboard - that was unlocked.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01In the unlocked safe, in the airing cupboard upstairs,
0:19:01 > 0:19:05was the marriage certificate showing that Hazel Matanki
0:19:05 > 0:19:10and Ahmed Ogunsanya had actually married in 2006
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Hold on a minute.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16The 23rd of September 2006?
0:19:16 > 0:19:18That's when Ahmed got married?!
0:19:18 > 0:19:22Well, that was just two days before he put in his benefit claim
0:19:22 > 0:19:26to Thurrock Council, using that whole "dumped dad" story.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29So, while most couples celebrate their wedding
0:19:29 > 0:19:34by going on honeymoon, he celebrated by raking in a load of cash...
0:19:34 > 0:19:35from you and me!
0:19:36 > 0:19:40It looks like this was a carefully pre-planned operation.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42So what did the financial investigators find?
0:19:44 > 0:19:49There was approximately £2,600 found at the address.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53First of all, there was £2,000 found in an unlocked safe,
0:19:53 > 0:19:59then there was £200 found in the back of a Bible.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04Another £200 was found in a bedside cabinet,
0:20:04 > 0:20:09and finally, another £200 was found in a cupboard
0:20:09 > 0:20:15just above the cooker hob in the kitchen.
0:20:15 > 0:20:22The locked digital home safe was initially seized by the police,
0:20:22 > 0:20:27and then it was handed in to our custody and, lo and behold,
0:20:27 > 0:20:33there was a vast amount of cash in there in £50 and £20 notes.
0:20:33 > 0:20:38The majority of it was all banded up in £1,000 denominations.
0:20:38 > 0:20:45There was a total of £20,200 in UK sterling,
0:20:45 > 0:20:47with 1,000 US inside the safe.
0:20:52 > 0:20:57The two combined seizure figures amounted to...
0:20:57 > 0:21:01approximately, it was £23,416.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09From my opinion, there's no explanation that somebody
0:21:09 > 0:21:14should have that amount of cash in a safe when they're on benefits.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18And only earning £95 a week as a personal trainer.
0:21:19 > 0:21:26In the garage of the property, there was a lot of merchandise -
0:21:26 > 0:21:31items of clothing, footwear, handbags, alcohol -
0:21:31 > 0:21:35and it appeared to be genuine items, therefore it wasn't seized,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38so it could be that they were importing them
0:21:38 > 0:21:41and selling them on from that. There was no record
0:21:41 > 0:21:46anywhere on their claim with VAT registration.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50It appeared that these items were being sold off of their own back,
0:21:50 > 0:21:55so to speak, without them paying any duty at all.
0:21:55 > 0:21:56Oh, dear, Ahmed.
0:21:56 > 0:22:01It looks like you've been a very, VERY naughty boy.
0:22:01 > 0:22:06Also obtained during the search, there were numerous receipts
0:22:06 > 0:22:09for Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Harrods.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13There was many, many flight documents found -
0:22:13 > 0:22:15boarding passes,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18holidays that had been arranged between the family to Egypt -
0:22:18 > 0:22:24clearly showing that they had a high lifestyle.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27It seems that Hazel wasn't the only one using another name.
0:22:27 > 0:22:33Ahmed was buying and selling under the false name of Malcolm Jones -
0:22:33 > 0:22:37the third mystery person at Colman Close.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42When you look at the lifestyle that he and his wife, Hazel, had,
0:22:42 > 0:22:47in my opinion, it's what I consider is a champagne lifestyle.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52They have always had very, very expensive vehicles to drive.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56She drove a Porsche Cayenne.
0:22:56 > 0:23:02He drove a top-of-the-range Vauxhall Astra Nurburgring.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06Obviously, they've had flights all round the world,
0:23:06 > 0:23:11and in addition to that, examining their bank accounts,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14they have had substantial amounts
0:23:14 > 0:23:19of unexplained cash deposits going in and out of the accounts,
0:23:19 > 0:23:23and likewise moving money from one account to another,
0:23:23 > 0:23:28international money transfers with Western Union.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33All these indicate that they are not just your straightforward,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35- average benefit claimant.- No!
0:23:35 > 0:23:38In fact, they could almost enter the ranks
0:23:38 > 0:23:42of the most prolific money launderers in history.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45When Ahmed Ogunsanya was first questioned,
0:23:45 > 0:23:51he stated that the money had been given to him by a friend.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Unfortunately, the friend didn't back up the story.
0:23:55 > 0:24:01Two days before we had arrested Mr Ogunsanya and his wife,
0:24:01 > 0:24:06he had actually returned on a flight from Jamaica,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09landing at Gatwick Airport.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14He was stopped by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs officers
0:24:14 > 0:24:20and he was in possession of £6,200 UK sterling
0:24:20 > 0:24:23and 170,000 Jamaican dollars -
0:24:23 > 0:24:27around about £1,000, English moneywise.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31He, at the time, provided an explanation
0:24:31 > 0:24:34that he had withdrawn some of this money
0:24:34 > 0:24:39from a safe of his, so my gut feeling was,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43if you've got all this money sitting in a safe at home,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46why do you need to withdraw the money from your bank accounts
0:24:46 > 0:24:49anything up to a month before you're going on holiday?
0:24:49 > 0:24:52It just doesn't make commercial sense.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54And it doesn't make much sense to us, either.
0:24:54 > 0:25:00My opinion is that Ahmed and Hazel Ogunsanya
0:25:00 > 0:25:03did not need any financial support
0:25:03 > 0:25:06provided by the local authority or the DWP.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09So what about the claims that were made by Hazel?
0:25:10 > 0:25:12She was claiming her basic Jobseeker's Allowance
0:25:12 > 0:25:15and then, in terms of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit,
0:25:15 > 0:25:19she was receiving about £145 a week from the council.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21They wouldn't have been entitled to benefits
0:25:21 > 0:25:26if they'd claimed normally because there was undisclosed money coming
0:25:26 > 0:25:31into their accounts, which has never really been accounted for properly.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35So that's benefit fraudster, money launderer and tax avoider.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Anything else...while we're here?
0:25:38 > 0:25:41They were charged with a number of offences in relation to
0:25:41 > 0:25:44the provision of false documents, making of false statements
0:25:44 > 0:25:48and failing to declare changes in their circumstances.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51So the only genuine thing we can say about Ahmed
0:25:51 > 0:25:53is that he's a bona fide crook.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58Ahmed was charged with seven offences under social security legislation
0:25:58 > 0:26:03relating to dishonestly failing to declare changes of his circumstances
0:26:03 > 0:26:05and the provision of false documents.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09Hazel was charged with five similar offences in relation to her claim.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13So, what exactly are we talking here, Graham?
0:26:13 > 0:26:19The overpayment figures at the end for Ahmed was nearly £34,500
0:26:19 > 0:26:23and Hazel was £8,300, something in that order.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Her overpayment was considerably lower
0:26:26 > 0:26:27than we thought it was going to be,
0:26:27 > 0:26:29because the Department of Work and Pensions
0:26:29 > 0:26:31chose not to raise an overpayment for her
0:26:31 > 0:26:36in relation to the Jobseeker's Allowance that she had been claiming.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38They pleaded guilty in May 2012,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41when they appeared at court and were sentenced.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Ahmed was sentenced to 22 months' imprisonment
0:26:43 > 0:26:47and Hazel was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Ahmed and Hazel enjoyed having multiple addresses,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56and now that's exactly what they've got,
0:26:56 > 0:27:00as they're living separately at Her Majesty's pleasure.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03The only downside is they're not allowed the keys.