0:00:02 > 0:00:07This programme contains some strong language
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Fraud is the national problem none of us can afford.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12A staggering ?20bn stolen last year from the state -
0:00:12 > 0:00:15that's more than all of next year's welfare cuts.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18I'm Richard Bilton. In this series, I'm on the front line
0:00:18 > 0:00:21with the investigators fighting fraud.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23This is a 65-inch.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24That's about how tall I am.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Tonight, the people getting financial support from the state
0:00:28 > 0:00:31before spending thousands doing up their property.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33Why don't you BLEEP off?
0:00:33 > 0:00:34CHEERING
0:00:34 > 0:00:38The woman who won almost ?100,000 on a game show,
0:00:38 > 0:00:40but carried on claiming.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42It's not fair what you're doing.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46And the man doing house clearances
0:00:46 > 0:00:49while claiming disability payments in two names.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Hold it there. Put it down.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55I've got the heavy one.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57HE MUTTERS INCOHERENTY
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Last year, fraudsters stole vast amounts of cash
0:01:18 > 0:01:21from councils already under pressure.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26But some councils have found a new way to fight back.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30When I start going through people's bank statements,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34it is like sifting for gold. It makes you wonder about everybody's
0:01:34 > 0:01:37secret life and what people are doing behind closed doors.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Zoe Neale's job is to get the stolen money back.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46She's Croydon Council's first financial investigator.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52When fraudsters are convicted, she starts hunting for the cash.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55I work under the Proceeds of Crime Act, so I'm looking for
0:01:55 > 0:02:00any unidentified cash, a property or a car or some jewellery.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Through the courts, fraudsters can be forced to hand money back.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08That's important given how much is being stolen -
0:02:08 > 0:02:11?2.5 million from Croydon alone last year.
0:02:12 > 0:02:1552 grand for a watch.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18SHE LAUGHS
0:02:18 > 0:02:19But it's not easy.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22These are the papers for Zoe's first ever case -
0:02:22 > 0:02:24it's a complicated one.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28So that, that's a lot of paperwork. It is.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32It's one of the biggest cases any council has tackled.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35From an investigator's point of view it's everything.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37You name it, it's in this case somewhere.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42It's the case of Ovo Nelson Mayomi.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46He came here from Nigeria using a false passport
0:02:46 > 0:02:49and married a British citizen, Juliet Ubiribo.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54All that I have I give to you. All that I have I give to you.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59But the happy couple kept their wedding a secret from the council.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03For years, Juliet Ubiribo claimed benefits as a single mum,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07and Ovo Mayomi used a fake ID to pose as her landlord.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10How much money then did they falsely claim,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12if you lump everything together?
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Their benefit overpayment was about ?43,000. Wow.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21He was sentenced to 30 months in prison and she was sentenced
0:03:21 > 0:03:24to 12 months in prison, but it's been suspended.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Having spent so much time on this case,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29what do you think about these two?
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Well, they are liars and they're cheats,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33and they've stolen from the taxpayer.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Mayomi is out of jail, but Zoe is after him.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40She wants the stolen cash back.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51To get the ?43,000,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Zoe has spent two years checking out what the couple own.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01And they've got expensive tastes.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06The watch that Juliet Ubiribo had,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09it'll be similar to those sorts of watches.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Zoe is in London's West End to value a Rolex watch
0:04:12 > 0:04:13found at the couple's house.
0:04:15 > 0:04:21It's steel and gold with ten diamonds around it.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25The watch at the back, it's new, that's worth ?8,400.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31She's already got a legal order to stop the couple selling the watch.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Now she wants to find out how much it might be worth to the council.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40We've had it valued. It is a genuine Rolex and they have valued it.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Now the valuation, he said it's between ?12-to-1,400,
0:04:43 > 0:04:48so the average is ?1,300.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50I'm intrigued because this was a person who was claiming benefits
0:04:50 > 0:04:54on the basis that she was a single parent struggling to make ends meet,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58and yet she bought a watch, and not just a watch, but a Rolex watch.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06The Rolex is just the start.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08She needs to find a lot more
0:05:08 > 0:05:12if she's to get back all the cash stolen from the council.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24Further north is another council fed up with its fraud bill.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28This is Stoke on Trent,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31where one in four households are on benefits.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Most need them to survive, but a few are on the fiddle.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39If I was at home, committing fraud or money laundering,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41you know, it comes at a price.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Somebody might be watching you one day, or finding you and catching you.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Steve Prince is a surveillance expert.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52What's it like being the watcher, though?
0:05:52 > 0:05:55It's OK, because you don't know what you're going to see,
0:05:55 > 0:05:56so I enjoy it from that angle.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59When that moment happens that it's crucial to the case,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02it can give you satisfaction when you see what you want to see.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Do you think you've got a natural feel for it?
0:06:04 > 0:06:08I suppose so, yeah. Yeah. Naturally a nosy person as such,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12or observational wise, you have to be that way.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15But the other side is 10/12 years' experience as well, so...
0:06:15 > 0:06:17It feels a bit like a big game, you know?
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Is that how it feels from your side?
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Yeah. It's a game. They are playing the game of taking money
0:06:22 > 0:06:23that they're not entitled to,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27and somebody has got to play the game of trying to catch them, really.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34On this estate there are single mums who use benefits to make ends meet,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36but there is one here who's attracted
0:06:36 > 0:06:38the attention of the fraud team.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Caroline!
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Caroline Banana got a place on the game show Deal or No Deal -
0:06:45 > 0:06:47a chance to earn a lot of money.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51She currently gets benefits - income support, housing benefit,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54single person discount on her council tax -
0:06:54 > 0:06:56and free school meals for her kids.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Now, seeing a mum from Stoke on the telly
0:07:00 > 0:07:02caught Steve's boss's interest.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06He was backing her. If she won, she wouldn't need benefits any more.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11If that was your target, Caroline,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14the offer to you now is ?35,000.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17CHEERING
0:07:17 > 0:07:19..but no deal.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21She was offered ?35,000 by the banker,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24and she's turned that down and elected to carry on.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31She's got rid of the ten pence, so she knows she's in for a good win.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35'If you were prepared to stop now,
0:07:35 > 0:07:40'he would write you a cheque for ?95,000.'
0:07:40 > 0:07:45SHE SCREAMS When Noel said ?95,000,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48I was just ready for the question.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53She won 95,000 - result - but then she cheated.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56She banked the cash and kept on claiming.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58I would love to win ?95,000,
0:07:58 > 0:08:02but given the fact that she's claiming the full benefits...
0:08:02 > 0:08:08The council is paying for her rent, paying her council tax...
0:08:08 > 0:08:11It's quite distressing, really, when you think how many people
0:08:11 > 0:08:14are really in a difficult situations, and here's someone who has
0:08:14 > 0:08:18just walked away with a tax-free lump sum of ?95,000,
0:08:18 > 0:08:22and yet feels it's OK to continue claiming all the benefits she can.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24She should have been in explaining to us
0:08:24 > 0:08:28that she's won this money and that she no longer wishes to claim.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31So Steve has been called in.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34It's a big part of the job, lots of hours doing nothing
0:08:34 > 0:08:38for five minutes of action...usually.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44He'll look into every area of Caroline Banana's life.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46It might feel intrusive,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49but the council say they need to know the score.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53After her win, she's put ten grand in tax-free savings accounts,
0:08:53 > 0:08:57bought a four-by-four and kept on claiming.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00That's Caroline just going to her car...
0:09:00 > 0:09:02at the end of the day.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06And I'm just pulling away to get somewhere in front of her,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08cos it would be better if she overtakes me
0:09:08 > 0:09:10rather than me just follow her straight from work.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Steve suspects Caroline is involved in a number of fiddles.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22Serious cheats often have different frauds on the go at the same time.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26What's the trick to this not getting spotted?
0:09:26 > 0:09:29It helps being in rush hour.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Most people can only go one way at this place.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36She's looking in her rear view, so I'm just dropping it.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Oh, right. She is going that way.
0:09:41 > 0:09:42I'd rather not take her down that way
0:09:42 > 0:09:46cos you have to be careful that somebody might have spotted you.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49With a bit of luck, I can maybe go that way
0:09:49 > 0:09:52and just catch her coming out the other end of the road.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54She could have pulled into a friend's house.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56She could have nipped out of here by now
0:09:56 > 0:09:59and gone down to the main road.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01But with a bit of luck, I can let her in like that.
0:10:03 > 0:10:04Here.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08It's nice when you can let somebody in like that.
0:10:08 > 0:10:09Can you believe your luck?
0:10:09 > 0:10:10Experience, not luck.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14So, if she thought we were following,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16there's a good chance she's probably not now.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22It's been a good day for Steve.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Now he'll check what she told the council when she first claimed.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32If she lied, she'll be charged.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50I'm in Knightsbridge.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52I'm not used to coming to places like Knightsbridge.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54I spend most of my time either at court,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56in the office, or at police stations.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Zoe's on an unusual trip to the shops.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05She's trying to get cash and assets back from a convicted fraudster,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07and she needs to get a few prices.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10We're here to visit Bang and Olufsen
0:11:10 > 0:11:13because Mr Mayomi had bought equipment from them,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16so we are here today to have a look at what he purchased.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Receipts found on Mayomi's computer
0:11:21 > 0:11:25show he came here to buy televisions and music systems.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I have never seen anything like that.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36I don't know what this is. I think it's a speaker of some sort.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38(I don't know.)
0:11:38 > 0:11:39I do feel really unsophisticated
0:11:39 > 0:11:41because I don't know what half this stuff is.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Wow. How much is that?
0:11:47 > 0:11:52In round figures, that's about ?10,000, thereabouts,
0:11:52 > 0:11:53there or thereabouts.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Wow. ?10,000 for a television set. Yes.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59And those speakers?
0:11:59 > 0:12:03They are ?15,000 for a pair.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05?15,000.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Mr Mayomi spent almost ?90,000 here.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13This is a newer model than was purchased at the time.
0:12:15 > 0:12:21This TV system, without the speakers, is approximately ?16,900.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23So, how large a screen is this?
0:12:23 > 0:12:25This is a 65-inch.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27That's about how tall I am.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32This is important.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36High-value goods might help Zoe get back the money the couple stole,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39but her search throws up an even bigger surprise.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44Wow.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53I've made enquiries in Nigeria and he, we believe,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55owns a large house in Nigeria.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Wow! That is a large house, isn't it? Yeah.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59I think it's got five bedrooms. Five bedrooms.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02The building at the back, this will be either a "boys' quarters",
0:13:02 > 0:13:05that will be for the servants, or else it may be a rental property.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11It's thought Mayomi spent tens of thousands on this place.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Here is the photographs that the forensic examination
0:13:14 > 0:13:15found on Mayomi's computer.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20He spent three grand on chandeliers...
0:13:22 > 0:13:23..a must-have for your mansion.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28And how much is that worth?
0:13:28 > 0:13:31I have valued that by comparing it with similar properties
0:13:31 > 0:13:36found in the same estate. I valued that at over a million pounds. Wow.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37She has uncovered other assets.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42He owns land in Nigeria. He's got a fish farm in Nigeria.
0:13:42 > 0:13:47His company paid for a watch that's valued at ?25,000.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Wow. So, this is a benefits cheat who has assets, you believe,
0:13:50 > 0:13:54of more than a million pounds, 1.12. Yes. That's extraordinary.
0:13:54 > 0:13:55But what does that feel like,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57when it all comes together and you see this big figure?
0:13:57 > 0:14:00I was very pleased and relieved.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03A lot of my cases I find people have spent the money,
0:14:03 > 0:14:07but this is something we can use in a confiscation order.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Mayomi is a bad lad.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12As well as making tens of thousands in benefit fraud,
0:14:12 > 0:14:16it's thought he's handled hundreds of thousands made through crime,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19and Zoe is after that as well.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Although I'm a civilian, I have the powers of an accredited
0:14:22 > 0:14:25financial investigator, so I can pursue enquiries under
0:14:25 > 0:14:28the Proceeds of Crime Act and the Criminal Justice Act.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33We're going to go ahead with the confiscation.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36This will take time, so it's not going to happen overnight.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39It's a gamble,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42but Zoe thinks Mr Mayomi's assets have been gained illegally
0:14:42 > 0:14:44and she is going after the lot.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58In Stoke, Steve is examining the Deal or no Deal footage.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Caroline Banana is meant to be a single mum,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04but here she looks very close to her ex.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06I was ready to deal.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09I knew this was it and I was just over the moon.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11I just couldn't believe it.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16And her Facebook profile isn't that of a single woman.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19I've been checking that for months and months and months.
0:15:19 > 0:15:20And what have you found?
0:15:20 > 0:15:24The important thing we found were in the photo section.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26And there they are together,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28and they're making a joke about their surname Banana.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30To me, it puts both of them on holiday.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33It's not painting a picture of people who aren't getting on.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Even the jokes that are being made down here are kind of evidence
0:15:37 > 0:15:38because people are presuming
0:15:38 > 0:15:40that this is a normal situation. That's right.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42They're just happy for them.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44There's no surprise that that picture has been taken.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Nobody's thinking, "What's going on here?"
0:15:46 > 0:15:48This guy, Mr Banana, that wasn't his name on Facebook, was it?
0:15:48 > 0:15:53No, no. He's used the surname Tharbo a few times.
0:15:53 > 0:15:54With knowing that surname,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57I checked that one out and this is what came up.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00Here's Michael Tharbo... Is that the two of them there?
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Yeah. And it's actually still got "married to Caroline Banana" on.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05There's a picture of them together.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Remember, these split up in 2008. Right.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10He's had four years to remove that. And change his picture. Yeah.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Cos these two people, they're getting money
0:16:13 > 0:16:15because they're not together as a couple. That's right.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18But they're showing the world pictures of them on holiday.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20He's getting money up in the Stockport area as a single chap
0:16:20 > 0:16:23with children, and she's getting benefits and money
0:16:23 > 0:16:25in Stoke as a single parent.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27But seeing something on Facebook
0:16:27 > 0:16:31and proving it in court are two very different things.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32Steve needs evidence.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37They are just leaving now. The missus is just coming out now.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40That's Caroline just underneath that big window on that flat behind.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45Living together fraud is very common -
0:16:45 > 0:16:48it costs the country ?168m a year.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53Steve is watching to see if Caroline
0:16:53 > 0:16:56and her husband behave like a married couple.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02That's Caroline just leaving now in the Dodge
0:17:02 > 0:17:03to take the children to school.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08But will Mr Banana follow?
0:17:10 > 0:17:11There isn't long to wait.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15So, it looks like it's the husband.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23So, I can actually anticipate which way he's going and just see him.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26You've seen how the house, the gates are shut.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Somebody's come out, shut the gates, got in the Jeep
0:17:28 > 0:17:30and gone to work, allegedly.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35You need to be have a certain amount of time where you've been doing
0:17:35 > 0:17:39what we've just done, because...
0:17:39 > 0:17:44we have had people in the past say that they stayed a week cos the kids
0:17:44 > 0:17:47are ill, or he's come down cos he's the man that does the decorating.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50What I'm doing now, I'm just going down this side road
0:17:50 > 0:17:54and he'll be going down that main road in that Jeep...behind you.
0:17:54 > 0:17:55He's there, actually.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58If you just turn, you will catch him going past.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05And that's classed as a good day. We've seen what we came for.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Somebody who shouldn't be living with her.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10It's only quarter, 20 past eight in the morning.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13He's come out in a suit, looking like what he's driving there,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16so you will see that all over the country, won't you?
0:18:16 > 0:18:19That sort of pattern for people who are living together.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28I have been brought up on an estate with a family of nine.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Me mother and father had nine, and none of us would ever dream of
0:18:31 > 0:18:33claiming benefits fraudulently.
0:18:33 > 0:18:34And when people on the same estate
0:18:34 > 0:18:39or other estates doing the same thing, it does get to you a bit.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41People might see you and think you are a bit hard-hearted,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43but you seem quite strong in your views. I am, yeah.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48She should be paying her own rent, council tax, paying her own bills.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50I'm pretty sure a lot of people on that estate
0:18:50 > 0:18:52would pay their own bills if they came into that sort of luck.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55I think, if you are claiming, it's got to be legit.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57If you come into luck or get a job you should declare it,
0:18:57 > 0:18:59and I don't mind seeing people punished for it.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is one of the most
0:19:09 > 0:19:11sought-after addresses in the country.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17There are council houses here worth ?1m...
0:19:19 > 0:19:22..but that can attract the wrong kind of attention.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26A fraudster who can get a subsidised place here
0:19:26 > 0:19:29could make a fortune renting or selling.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34There he goes.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37I'm just looking at the vehicle reg...
0:19:37 > 0:19:39so we can look him up on our system.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Marcin is part of the council's team that's out to stop them.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49His job is to secretly film the fraudsters.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51And now we've got this.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53And in his short time with the fraud team
0:19:53 > 0:19:56he's become a bit of an expert in surveillance.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01We do stick out.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05I used to do surveillance on my bicycle
0:20:05 > 0:20:09and then we got a bright white wheelchair-converted vehicle.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14We had that and that stuck out like a sore thumb,
0:20:14 > 0:20:16so this is a huge step up.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18What we really need to do is get blacked-out windows,
0:20:18 > 0:20:20kind of like that, that would be good,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22so I can just snoop on people and they can't see me.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28This is one of the team's prime targets, William Anthony.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33He said he lived with his mum in her council flat.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36When she died, he wanted to take it over - fair enough.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41Only when they checked him out, his story didn't add up.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45The enquiries that we made into his name, William Anthony,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48to another address in Richmond.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51So, investigator Paul Churchill dug a little deeper.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54There wasn't a William Anthony at that address,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56but there was someone called William Stanley.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58The mobile number for Stanley
0:20:58 > 0:21:01and the mobile number for Anthony was the same telephone number.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03So, it looks like he's got different names,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06but it's the same guy using the same phone. That's what we thought.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15To find out who they were dealing with, Paul made further inquiries.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18The Passport Agency confirmed that there are two passports,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22one in the name of William Anthony, one in the name of William Stanley.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24So, this guy's got two passports. Two British passports,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27and these are the pictures that the passport agency has sent to me.
0:21:27 > 0:21:28That is clearly the same guy,
0:21:28 > 0:21:30looks like on the same day even, doesn't it?
0:21:30 > 0:21:31And they've confirmed that,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33after checking the General Register Office,
0:21:33 > 0:21:37they can find no trace of a William Stanley ever being born.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42This is a very sought-after area, isn't it?
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Yeah, it's quite a nice area. Where are we heading?
0:21:44 > 0:21:47We are going to Clydesdale House, which is the address
0:21:47 > 0:21:51Mr Anthony claimed that he was living at with his mum,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53and the address he wanted to succeed the tenancy on.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56So, this is Portobello Road, isn't it? Yeah.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58And the flat is just around the corner. Yep.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00What's the demand like around here for flats?
0:22:00 > 0:22:02It would be high, yeah.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04You get lots of subletting around here.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06So, there is a big cash interest for him
0:22:06 > 0:22:09to have that flat just around the corner. Oh, definitely, yeah.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12The rent here would be around ?130 a week.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17Privately, around here, it probably ?350 a week, probably more.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20So that's why he was fighting for this flat? Yes.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23We're just coming up to the flat now - it's on the right.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26There's it is on the ground floor. Yeah.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30The council has now turned down Anthony's application
0:22:30 > 0:22:33to take over his mum's tenancy.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38I have a hunch that he was going to buy under the Right-to-buy Scheme
0:22:38 > 0:22:41because then he then gets like a ?75,000 discount,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44and then he'll sell it again.
0:22:44 > 0:22:45And make a load of cash.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48So, all of this fraud that you think you've exposed,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51it all stemmed, did it, from him just trying to get
0:22:51 > 0:22:54his hands on that flat? Just trying to succeed his mum's tenancy.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58But turning him down hasn't solved the council's problems -
0:22:58 > 0:23:01it's just created another one.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Anthony's declared himself homeless and they have to help.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Watching and digging,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15investigators spend their time stepping into other people's lives.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Steve's made an extraordinary discovery
0:23:20 > 0:23:22about Mrs Banana's husband.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Wow. It's pretty grand, isn't it?
0:23:25 > 0:23:29'Steve has found his family came here as political refugees.'
0:23:30 > 0:23:33His dad was President of Zimbabwe before Mugabe took over.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Her husband's father was the President of Zimbabwe.
0:23:36 > 0:23:37Yeah, yeah. He came over with the family
0:23:37 > 0:23:39and one or two settled in Stoke.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42So, what kind of life would he have had, do you know?
0:23:42 > 0:23:46The family lived in the state house in Harare in Zimbabwe.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48So unless Michael was living elsewhere
0:23:48 > 0:23:51he was living quite well, wasn't he? A nice shower and bathroom.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Certainly different connections to Stoke on Trent anyway.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58And you can do all this research this investigation just sat here
0:23:58 > 0:24:01at your desk? You can do quite a lot from your desk, yeah,
0:24:01 > 0:24:03because the internet is a big place.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07'He's been looking at the Bananas' holiday snaps.'
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Where's this picture then? Certainly not Stoke on Trent.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13No, unless it was very warm.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15'But this is serious.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17'Steve has found that Mrs Banana spent seven weeks
0:24:17 > 0:24:22'on holiday in Turkey while claiming benefits in Stoke.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24'When she was there, she bought a villa.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27'The plan was to rent it out as a business.'
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Very, very recently, she gave us a new phone number.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Did you just whack it in Google?
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Put it in Google and it popped up as Alanya Properties.
0:24:35 > 0:24:36And if you look at the trading name,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39it's registered at the address that she is living.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Can she run a company from a council house?
0:24:41 > 0:24:44No, a council house is for living in, not working in. Right.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45And it's a breach of tenancy.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48So, from that you got this company. What does it do, this company?
0:24:48 > 0:24:51There's properties in Turkey being to let and sold.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54There's pictures of the properties and how much they are going for,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56and what you can do when you are on holiday.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59And that again is with her ex-partner, as she says.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02With her ex-partner. He is on there as well as the partner
0:25:02 > 0:25:04of the business, the UK team, basically.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07More evidence that they are together? It seems to be, yeah.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12'But Steve needs to back up what he finds on the internet
0:25:12 > 0:25:15'with physical evidence.' One of the prettier places of Stoke on Trent.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20And for him, the only way to do this
0:25:20 > 0:25:23is to stay close to the Banana family.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Now the school is 100 yards to me left.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27I don't need to be close to the school at all.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30It's probably 100/200 yards up the back there.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33This is full-on surveillance.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36His boss has given permission to stake out the children's school
0:25:36 > 0:25:38because the teachers say it's Michael,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41not Caroline, who picks the kids up.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43It isn't always a case of being on somebody's back
0:25:43 > 0:25:46and filming them every five minutes of every day,
0:25:46 > 0:25:48it's just painting a picture of what it looks like,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50and what it would look like to people in the street.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Do they seem as a couple,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54or a bloke appearing on the scene once a month for a day?
0:25:54 > 0:25:57You're only trying to get to the bottom of it, the truth.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01If it ain't happening then you will never prove it, will you?
0:26:01 > 0:26:03If it isn't fact, you don't want to prove it.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06You don't want people in trouble when they aren't doing anything.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Is it a bit bizarre that you are sitting in Stoke on Trent
0:26:08 > 0:26:12doing surveillance on the son of the former president of Zimbabwe?
0:26:12 > 0:26:14HE LAUGHS
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Yeah, I suppose it is, isn't it? That's a bit strange, that one.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21There's not too many sons of presidents that
0:26:21 > 0:26:22live in Stoke, I suppose.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Unless they're presidents of working men's club's - quite a few of them.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29LAUGHTER
0:26:33 > 0:26:37Mr Banana doesn't show up, but the evidence is building.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Since she won ?95,000, not only has Caroline
0:26:42 > 0:26:47continued to claim benefits, but Steve thinks she's working as well.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51We've now got evidence of three periods of work she's done
0:26:51 > 0:26:53when she was claiming benefit.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56There is a note there on the second of March, 2011, where they've
0:26:56 > 0:26:59called her regarding a job coming up and she's actually said
0:26:59 > 0:27:03she can't do it cos she is filming Deal or No Deal.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05And a crucial document has arrived.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08It's taken us a few months to get the document from Endemol,
0:27:08 > 0:27:12who make the game show, telling us that Caroline Banana actually won
0:27:12 > 0:27:14the money and she was paid by cheque.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17That's what we have been hoping for from day one.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19That's the golden document, really.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23The case against Caroline Banana is almost there.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32It's early morning in North London
0:27:32 > 0:27:35and Paul Churchill is on his way to a stake-out.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Oh, where are you?
0:27:39 > 0:27:41He's meeting his boss.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45I think I've missed most of the heavy rain.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49It's like this all day. I reckon the weekend as well.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53It's July. I can't believe it's going to be like this for three days.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55They're here to watch William Anthony.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57After being turned down for his mum's flat,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01he declared himself homeless and he's on a waiting list.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03On paper, his situation looks grim.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06The council's paying for him to live in a hotel,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08but Paul isn't sure he stays here.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14So, we are going to see if he is actually staying there or not
0:28:14 > 0:28:17because I've got reasons to believe that he probably isn't,
0:28:17 > 0:28:19and that that's not his main home.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Right at the station, up, and then on the left.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26They think William Anthony isn't homeless at all.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30He's living a double life, and what he's trying to do is commit fraud.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35We're not going to approach him today.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38It's just to see if he's here.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43Ideally, we would like to see where he is going.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50This is the hotel...just there.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53He actually lives across the road
0:28:53 > 0:28:56because they've got the building across the road as well.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59Shall we give it a knock? Yeah.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10But as they leave, William Anthony, their target,
0:29:10 > 0:29:12crosses the street and walks towards them.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17He passes by and goes into the hotel.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23We'll have to hide behind the wall or something.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25Minutes later, Anthony comes back out.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28He gets in the van, but doesn't drive off.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35Andy and Paul have to walk past him again - it's not ideal.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44He must be the white van, that white van we just went past.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56We spotted that he's got into the white van at the end of the road.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58My concern is that he is still sat in the car.
0:29:58 > 0:29:59If he is surveillance-aware,
0:29:59 > 0:30:02he may realise that we've got in this car and not moved.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05And as we walked past once and come back,
0:30:05 > 0:30:08I want to try and leave now so we can go past there.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12We are going to move forward now. Drive off.
0:30:18 > 0:30:23They drive around the block. When they return, he's gone.
0:30:23 > 0:30:24He's gone.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33Paul heads back to the office to carry on digging.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37What were hoping to see is where he actually lives.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40We saw him at the hotel this morning in Kilburn.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43He was at the hotel? Saw him leave. We were just going into the hotel,
0:30:43 > 0:30:47and he walked out and got into this white van and drove off.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52Paul's interested in that van.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55If it has a parking permit, who is it registered to?
0:30:59 > 0:31:03We will send a fax over to Brent Council to see if they can
0:31:03 > 0:31:07check out this number plate for us.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11Probably give them details of the names that they've got as well
0:31:11 > 0:31:13and see if they can find anything for him.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19I'd expect a response within a week.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23I mean, sometimes it can be within a day, so we will see.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27But Paul doesn't want to wait, so he heads to Richmond.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30This is the address where William Anthony's fake ID
0:31:30 > 0:31:34William Stanley has claimed benefits in the past.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36I'll let them go past me.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42If you see the silver car over there,
0:31:42 > 0:31:44that's another one of his cars.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46And this is the other address
0:31:46 > 0:31:48that he used to claim housing benefits under...
0:31:50 > 0:31:52..in the name of William Stanley.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06Saying that, yeah.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08There's building work going on, yeah.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13Oh, look at that white van. That's the white van.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15That's the white van we saw this morning.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21So we know that he's come from the hotel this morning
0:32:21 > 0:32:23back to this address.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27I think this is his main home.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29Actually, we could go and have a quick look and see
0:32:29 > 0:32:32if there is any parking permits on that van.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37If he walks out and I bump into him again...
0:32:45 > 0:32:47Walking over to the van...
0:32:48 > 0:32:51..a packet of Swan Vestas in there.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53No parking permits or anything.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55I'm glad that we've seen the van now, I have to say,
0:32:55 > 0:32:57because I didn't want to drive all this way
0:32:57 > 0:32:59and there be nothing there at all.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04I think this is where he lives.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09Paul's case is building slowly, but he hasn't got enough to
0:33:09 > 0:33:14charge William Anthony or stop him getting a free council flat.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22In Stoke, the investigation is nearly complete.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26In the case against Mrs Banana, who won 95 grand on a game show,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30they've had another breakthrough - her bank records.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33Overnight, we've had a reply back from Barclay's
0:33:33 > 0:33:36saying there's three accounts in Caroline's name.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Now the figures of the opening balances of these
0:33:38 > 0:33:40add up to the ?95,000.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44So we're now... Where we were happy before that she had won money
0:33:44 > 0:33:47on the game show, we can now show that that ?95,000
0:33:47 > 0:33:51has been put into her name, into her bank account at Barclays.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53A bank statement like this is pretty useful to us
0:33:53 > 0:33:56because it can show what somebody's been up to, where they've been,
0:33:56 > 0:33:59what they've been doing and who they've been doing it with, so...
0:33:59 > 0:34:04So this morning, Steve will confront Caroline Banana.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07He thinks he can prove she claimed benefits
0:34:07 > 0:34:10for more than a year after winning on the show.
0:34:12 > 0:34:13See you later.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20This is a big day. Steve's worked on the case for months.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23He's about to interview Mrs Banana,
0:34:23 > 0:34:25but things have already started to change.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31I delivered the letter to come in for interview last Tuesday, and since
0:34:31 > 0:34:34then the vehicle that we have been seeing on the property every day
0:34:34 > 0:34:36has suddenly disappeared.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40It's not there, so you can make of that what you want.
0:34:40 > 0:34:45And his Facebook page has been updated with "location: Stockport",
0:34:45 > 0:34:49so you can see her reaction after
0:34:49 > 0:34:51they are aware that they are being investigated.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55If Caroline Banana can't come up with an explanation today,
0:34:55 > 0:34:56she'll be charged.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05Hi, I'm Steve Prince. I'm an investigator from
0:35:05 > 0:35:08the Benefits Services Section from Stoke on Trent City Council.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12The time by my watch is 3.42.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14In the interview, Steve and a colleague
0:35:14 > 0:35:16get Caroline to talk about her holiday.
0:35:18 > 0:35:24'I went to Turkey last year for seven weeks with my whole family.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27'It's quite a long holiday for somebody who is claiming
0:35:27 > 0:35:30'an income-based benefit. It was...
0:35:30 > 0:35:33'I couldn't afford to go on holiday for seven weeks.
0:35:33 > 0:35:34'It was school holidays.'
0:35:34 > 0:35:36What does she do when that's put to her?
0:35:36 > 0:35:39This idea that you and the other interviewer
0:35:39 > 0:35:42can't afford to go away for seven weeks? It's a difficult one.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44She smiled and laughed a bit, but at the end of the day,
0:35:44 > 0:35:46she could afford to go, couldn't she?
0:35:46 > 0:35:49Is that a reasonable question? It is reasonable
0:35:49 > 0:35:51cos people are on income support cos they've got no money.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54They are trying to feed the kids, not spend seven weeks in Turkey.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58That's the first benefit they get, some income support to live on.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02'I bought a property in Turkey.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05'So, you bought a property in Turkey? Yeah.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07'How did you fund that?
0:36:07 > 0:36:14'I...went on Deal or No Deal and I was fortunate enough...'
0:36:16 > 0:36:17'Yeah.'
0:36:19 > 0:36:20The Deal or No Deal...
0:36:20 > 0:36:25She didn't seem to realise that, actually, that was a big admission.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27It came out not willingly, did it?
0:36:27 > 0:36:30It was like, "Oh, what am I saying here?" But yet she told you...
0:36:30 > 0:36:32At that time, she didn't know we had that.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35But she told you, didn't she? Yeah. Were you surprised by that?
0:36:35 > 0:36:40I think she was being funnelled down a dead-end street, you know.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43You've been away six weeks, you've set up a business,
0:36:43 > 0:36:45what's it all about? How could you afford that?
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Well, let's listen to what she says.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50'What would you say the general public would
0:36:50 > 0:36:52'think of that, the taxpayers?
0:36:52 > 0:36:55'They wouldn't be happy. They wouldn't be happy.'
0:36:55 > 0:36:58So she understands. Yeah. That's what it boils down to, yeah, yeah.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02At the end of the day, she's claiming benefits off people like myself
0:37:02 > 0:37:05and yourself who are contributing towards that system.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07And then to go out and win that money is the time to say,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10"Oh, thank you for your help. I don't need it any more."
0:37:11 > 0:37:15Caroline Banana is charged - she is not happy.
0:37:15 > 0:37:16CAMERA CLICKS
0:37:18 > 0:37:20It's not fair what you're doing.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29But the allegations are serious, and a trial date is fixed.
0:37:31 > 0:37:32Look at this, Marc.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35This is the guy you saw, isn't it?
0:37:35 > 0:37:36That's him!
0:37:38 > 0:37:39Come on!
0:37:39 > 0:37:41I thought their noses looked quite similar.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45He's put on so much weight that his ears have disappeared.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47Er, I don't know.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50The team in Kensington and Chelsea are getting closer to
0:37:50 > 0:37:54understanding William Anthony's tangled double life.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57This is the car that we saw the other day,
0:37:57 > 0:38:01which was outside the hotel in Kilburn.
0:38:01 > 0:38:06They are searching the council's computer system for clues.
0:38:08 > 0:38:13It's now been three months since he was turned down for his mum's flat
0:38:13 > 0:38:15and he declared himself homeless.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23That's the car that got all the parking tickets, the silver BMW.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27There are a number of cars that seem to be linked to them.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29And that's another car. That's another car.
0:38:29 > 0:38:30There's been loads.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32There's been loads in the past.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35For as far back as I can tell he's been claiming benefits,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38so how can he afford the cars?
0:38:38 > 0:38:43They've also been checking William Anthony's identity, William Stanley.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45Not only does he have two passports,
0:38:45 > 0:38:48he's been claiming benefits in both names.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54It's been going on for a long time, from what we can establish.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57He's claiming benefits under the name William Anthony,
0:38:57 > 0:39:00but this bank account is in the name William Stanley
0:39:00 > 0:39:03and the only thing going into this bank account is Disability Living
0:39:03 > 0:39:07Allowance, which is money from the Department for Work and Pensions.
0:39:07 > 0:39:14March - ?275.40. April - ?282.50.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17May - ?289.60.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19The disability money that is going into this account
0:39:19 > 0:39:22is for a William Stanley, not for William Anthony.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25William Anthony is getting money separately in his own right,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28so this sort of shows that he is getting double money
0:39:28 > 0:39:30under the two identities.
0:39:30 > 0:39:35His fraud has netted him almost ?90,000 in benefits.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39Are you ready? Yep.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41It's time to get the police involved.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43Just the fact that there are two passports
0:39:43 > 0:39:46running at the same time should be enough.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49But, again, it's up to them whether or not they've got the manpower
0:39:49 > 0:39:51to do the amount of addresses that we have got.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55Hopefully they will be interested in the case, and then we'll
0:39:55 > 0:39:58arrange a date for them to come and carry out the arrest for us.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11I think I'm beyond stressed because...
0:40:12 > 0:40:17..this is my first Proceeds of Crime case - it's a big one.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20Zoe and her legal team are now in court.
0:40:20 > 0:40:25It's the case of Ovo Mayomi and his wife Juliet Ubiribo -
0:40:25 > 0:40:27they're convicted fraudsters.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29The legal action is to make them pay back the money
0:40:29 > 0:40:34they stole from the council and anything else they made from crime.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36Why don't you fuck off?
0:40:36 > 0:40:38There's a lot at stake for everybody.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40For the defendant, if we win,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43it means they will have to dispose of their assets.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47If we lose, we would have to explain about the money we'd used
0:40:47 > 0:40:48in legal fees and in costs.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51There's negative publicity for the council,
0:40:51 > 0:40:53so there is a lot at stake on both sides.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58Bang and Olufsen have been very helpful. I've done you a table.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01They are still struggling to get hold of some of the original cheques.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Yeah. From what I remember in the previous hearing,
0:41:03 > 0:41:07he's just disputing everything. Yes. I think...
0:41:07 > 0:41:12Zoe wants the judge to award more than ?1m against Mayomi.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15She has to convince the court his wealth comes from crime.
0:41:15 > 0:41:20I think that's it for the credit cards in the false ID. Yeah, it is.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22There's a lot of bank accounts. I know. Well, there is...
0:41:22 > 0:41:25Just revisiting this yesterday and going through it all,
0:41:25 > 0:41:28and it's just staggering, really, the number of large transactions.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31We have identified a family connection with crime.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34So, Mr Mayomi's in-laws for instance, the Ubiribo family,
0:41:34 > 0:41:38have been convicted of a number of criminal offences that relate
0:41:38 > 0:41:40to drugs and money laundering.
0:41:40 > 0:41:45So there are significant worries as to where the money's come from.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Good morning. Good morning. All well?
0:41:48 > 0:41:51All well, thank you. How about you? Can I have a word? Yeah, sure.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Mayomi's lawyer wants a chat.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57Hopefully he hasn't brought in loads of paperwork
0:41:57 > 0:41:59suddenly to ambush us with.
0:42:00 > 0:42:05Well, what would happen if he did turn up with a box full of books
0:42:05 > 0:42:08and accounting documents at this stage?
0:42:08 > 0:42:10We are just going to have to look through it quickly.
0:42:19 > 0:42:23News from defence camp is that Mr Mayomi has attended this morning
0:42:23 > 0:42:25with a suitcase of documents.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35Mayomi says the Nigerian house is owned by his parents.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39He's produced thousands of documents to dispute Zoe's claims.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46It's a last-minute surprise that could derail the council's case.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52What else we can find out? Hmm.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57Why didn't we know about this two and a half years ago?
0:42:57 > 0:42:58I just don't know.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03Mr Mayomi is a hard man to pin down.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05Croydon investigators suspect
0:43:05 > 0:43:09he's even given the court a false address.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12He tells the court that he lives at an address at Catford.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16However, his wife is at that address and she is claiming benefits
0:43:16 > 0:43:20on the basis that she's a single adult in the house.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23He is not supposed to be there. He's not registered at the address.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25Somebody's been out to interview Mrs Ubiribo
0:43:25 > 0:43:28and she says he visits to see the children at the weekends,
0:43:28 > 0:43:30so I don't actually know where Mr Mayomi is.
0:43:32 > 0:43:34We try to find out.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38For three days, we stake out the address he's given to the court.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42We see Juliet Ubiribo, but there is no sign of Mayomi.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47We follow him to find out where he is actually living.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06He hasn't been asked, as far as I'm aware,
0:44:06 > 0:44:08to produce proof of where he lives.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11His defence counsel may have an address that we are unaware of.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15What's to stop him disappearing?
0:44:16 > 0:44:18Ah, it's a good question actually.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26What does that say about the system?
0:44:26 > 0:44:28It's very easy to tell lies.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34Mayomi clocks he's being followed and gives us the slip.
0:44:37 > 0:44:41The worry is that he will do the same thing to the authorities.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51It's summer in London and most people are enjoying the sun...
0:44:52 > 0:44:55..but the investigators in Kensington and Chelsea
0:44:55 > 0:44:56are having a hard time.
0:44:58 > 0:45:02Marcin thinks he's been rumbled on a stakeout.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06This is the son. He starts reversing into the property
0:45:06 > 0:45:09and then he just suddenly stops, and then he just comes straight
0:45:09 > 0:45:14towards me. And I think, "Right. He's figured out I'm recording him."
0:45:14 > 0:45:18He's watching William Anthony, the man who has used
0:45:18 > 0:45:22two identities to fleece the system of nearly ?90,000.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26You thought he clocked you. And then he drove past staring at me.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29He does a three-point turn just behind me, turns around
0:45:29 > 0:45:30and then winds his window down.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35He looks at me and I think, "OK. I had better wind mine down."
0:45:35 > 0:45:38And he goes, "Are you Roger?" or something like that.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40I say, "Roger? No, I'm not Roger."
0:45:40 > 0:45:43And then he just drove off and he didn't go to the house.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46He just drove around the corner and disappeared.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49Another bit of bad news is that they can't get William Anthony
0:45:49 > 0:45:52arrested any time soon.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55We've been waiting at least three months.
0:45:55 > 0:46:00There is just lots of red tape and there's other organisations.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02It's very frustrating, very frustrating.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05It's almost like he could be cleaning up his act
0:46:05 > 0:46:08and there will be no evidence left when we do arrest him.
0:46:09 > 0:46:11And because he hasn't been arrested,
0:46:11 > 0:46:14William Anthony is moving up the council housing list.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18He is at a position now where he is actually entitled
0:46:18 > 0:46:21to more social housing, to another house.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23He's registered with a number of disabilities,
0:46:23 > 0:46:25so he's got the points.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29He's actually bidding on properties, which means that, I think,
0:46:29 > 0:46:33very soon he will be moving back into Kensington and Chelsea,
0:46:33 > 0:46:38and be given a nice new housing association or council flat.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42It's quite an extraordinary situation. Yeah.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47That's him.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50And one of the reasons William Anthony is moving up the list
0:46:50 > 0:46:52is his supposed disabilities.
0:46:52 > 0:46:57Mr Anthony suffers from angina, arthritic heart, hypertension,
0:46:57 > 0:47:00arthritis in his hips and hands, panic attacks,
0:47:00 > 0:47:03high cholesterol, deaf in one ear and has a speech defect.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05You can see from there,
0:47:05 > 0:47:08just from the picture that we have been able to obtain from him,
0:47:08 > 0:47:11he doesn't walk around normally with a walking stick.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14No. That's what the DWP want to interview him about as well.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16As well as the two identities that he's been
0:47:16 > 0:47:22claiming DWP benefits under, the Disability Living Allowance etc.
0:47:22 > 0:47:24Is he actually disabled in the first place?
0:47:24 > 0:47:27From looking at him on the video, he seems pretty OK to me.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35Appearing fit and well while claiming benefits is one thing,
0:47:35 > 0:47:38but we've heard that William Anthony is working.
0:47:48 > 0:47:53William Anthony, who gets benefits for a disability, seems to be
0:47:53 > 0:47:57in business as a house clearer and I think we should see him in action.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03He may have escaped the authorities but our team sets a trap.
0:48:06 > 0:48:08Hi there. I'm wondering if you could help me.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11I've got a house in Croydon that I really need to get cleared.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13What sort of price would you normally be looking at?
0:48:13 > 0:48:16For a full load, 250 quid.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19250. OK. Sorry, who are you?
0:48:19 > 0:48:21Mark. OK.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24'It's suspected he's in the removals trade with his son
0:48:24 > 0:48:27'and we've got a job for him.' Would you bring enough people
0:48:27 > 0:48:31so you can probably get it done in a day or in a morning?
0:48:31 > 0:48:33In a day. In a day, OK.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36'We've got a house for him to clear out
0:48:36 > 0:48:38'and we've made sure it's a big job.'
0:48:38 > 0:48:40This is it. Are you Mark?
0:48:40 > 0:48:42Yeah, I am. Hi, I'm Tony.
0:48:42 > 0:48:47Nice to meet you...finally. Yeah. So much traffic. Come on in.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51Right, are you ready for this? Oh, my God.
0:48:51 > 0:48:53Yeah. It doesn't end there either, mate.
0:48:53 > 0:48:58There's a shelving thing there, this here...
0:48:58 > 0:49:00the TV unit behind me. Hmm-hmm.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02Don't open the fridge. Right.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05THEY LAUGH It's my warning.
0:49:05 > 0:49:07So there, this... I knew this was going to happen.
0:49:07 > 0:49:10We waited and waited and waited for our...
0:49:10 > 0:49:12So, you were waiting for somebody else to come?
0:49:12 > 0:49:14And he never showed up, so that's why we was late.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16That's fair enough.
0:49:16 > 0:49:20You're right, there's definitely more than a load here. Yeah.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23'It seems they're a man down, but Mr Anthony,
0:49:23 > 0:49:26'who's told the council he suffers heart problems
0:49:26 > 0:49:30'and struggles to walk for more than 60m, is up for the challenge.'
0:49:30 > 0:49:31A lot of work.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36I thought I had a lot of work on my house, but this...
0:49:38 > 0:49:40That's that priceless Ming vase gone.
0:49:40 > 0:49:41LAUGHTER
0:49:41 > 0:49:4570 grand's worth. That's it. Yeah.
0:49:51 > 0:49:55'It takes six hours to clear three tonnes of rubbish.
0:49:55 > 0:50:02'He might be a fraudster and a cheat, but Mr Anthony can graft.'
0:50:04 > 0:50:08Hold it there. Put it down. This is heavy.
0:50:09 > 0:50:10I've got the heavy one.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12Go on.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15Our house has been cleared by a man who claims
0:50:15 > 0:50:19Disability Living Allowance in not one, but two identities.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23This is a man playing the system for all it's worth.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32Mrs Banana is up in court.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35She's agrees to plead guilty to six charges
0:50:35 > 0:50:38and the council agrees to drop the living together charge.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42Well, we got the result. It's what we are looking for.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45It started off as an allegation of somebody having some money.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48We proved it. We proved there was some work in there as well.
0:50:48 > 0:50:51We proved that she's done stuff with the money,
0:50:51 > 0:50:53had a lavish lifestyle for a period of time,
0:50:53 > 0:50:56while the public are paying their rent and their council tax.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00Just one last thought as well. Of those four things that were lost,
0:51:00 > 0:51:03a couple of them were to do with co-habitation, weren't they?
0:51:03 > 0:51:05I wondered whether having been with you on some of that
0:51:05 > 0:51:08surveillance that you might be a bit frustrated by that?
0:51:08 > 0:51:11It isn't finished on that because the information
0:51:11 > 0:51:14I obtained on my investigation will be passed to Stockport.
0:51:14 > 0:51:18Stockport can have a property back.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20They can certainly bill him for
0:51:20 > 0:51:24any benefit he's had up there whilst it seems he's been living down here.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27CHEERING
0:51:27 > 0:51:30Mrs Banana gets 200 hours community service
0:51:30 > 0:51:34and has to pay back ?6,000 of benefits.
0:51:34 > 0:51:38Stockport bill her husband for more than ?2,000, which he's appealing.
0:51:39 > 0:51:41Hi, Mrs Banana. I'm from the BBC.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43Was there justice done today, do you think?
0:51:44 > 0:51:47You won all that money on the game show, didn't you?
0:51:47 > 0:51:50And then still kept claiming benefits.
0:51:50 > 0:51:51Is that what happened?
0:51:51 > 0:51:53Tell me what happened.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56What do you say to all the people who say benefits are for those
0:51:56 > 0:51:59who need them and you were just cheating the system?
0:52:07 > 0:52:10She didn't want to answer, but then the court has already
0:52:10 > 0:52:14answered on her behalf, because she was guilty.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16She had tens of thousands of pounds in the bank
0:52:16 > 0:52:20and continued to claim benefits that are there for the desperate.
0:52:21 > 0:52:22That's why she didn't answer.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29Old-school criminal, that's what you told me at the time. Yeah.
0:52:29 > 0:52:34He was a gentleman, he was, the entire time. Old-school, yeah.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39William Anthony has finally been caught.
0:52:39 > 0:52:43Kensington and Chelsea asked him to come in
0:52:43 > 0:52:46to talk about his new flat, then had him nicked.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48He was arrested for benefit fraud, cautioned,
0:52:48 > 0:52:52so he didn't have to say anything, and then they searched him.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56He was very calm, you know. He was very calm.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59He was calm, yeah, like he was expecting it in some ways.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02He made a joke about the handcuffs, saying,
0:53:02 > 0:53:05"When did you change the handcuffs...
0:53:05 > 0:53:08"from the old original ones with the chain in the middle?"
0:53:08 > 0:53:10It was a good result at the end of the day.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12We've stopped this happening.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16We know that there is a passport that he should never have received,
0:53:16 > 0:53:19you know, that is normally a custodial sentence anyway.
0:53:19 > 0:53:20That's what we want to deter.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22We want to deter people from doing this.
0:53:26 > 0:53:30William Anthony is called in and charged.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32He pleads guilty to six counts of fraud.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39But on the day he is due to be sent to prison, he collapses.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46It's the third time running sentencing has been delayed
0:53:46 > 0:53:48because he claims to be ill.
0:53:50 > 0:53:55So Mr Anthony is being put into the ambulance just in front of me.
0:53:55 > 0:53:56He's clearly being taken away
0:53:56 > 0:53:58and I think that means no court case today.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05William Anthony enjoys a few more weeks of freedom
0:54:05 > 0:54:08before being sent down for two years.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27This is out of my hands. I've done my bit.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31I want to believe that I've done a good job and I've covered
0:54:31 > 0:54:35as many bases as I can, and I have got as much evidence as I can.
0:54:35 > 0:54:39You do your best, you make your enquiries, but at the end
0:54:39 > 0:54:43of the day it's up to the judge to decide what he believes.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45It's crunch time in Zoe's case.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48She'll hear today if all the effort
0:54:48 > 0:54:53and money spent on trying get cash back from Mr Mayomi has worked.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58After two years investigation, weeks of legal argument
0:54:58 > 0:55:00and two hours of summing up...
0:55:00 > 0:55:02SHE SIGHS ..it's all over.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07What happened? Tell us how you feel.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11Well, we've won, in short. Erm...
0:55:11 > 0:55:14We won rather well, actually.
0:55:14 > 0:55:16It's a good day.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20Certainly the judge had the measure of Mr Mayomi and ruled accordingly.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23He took the view in his judgment that anything that Mr Mayomi said
0:55:23 > 0:55:25was not worthy of belief.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28What in terms of a confiscation order?
0:55:28 > 0:55:32He's indicated that Mr Mayomi has accrued just shy of
0:55:32 > 0:55:34?3m through criminal conduct.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36The amount that he has achieved is not necessarily
0:55:36 > 0:55:39the amount that is available, but we've still got a really
0:55:39 > 0:55:41considerable sum of just under 1.2 million.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43So, that has been ordered against him.
0:55:43 > 0:55:45He's got to pay that within six months.
0:55:45 > 0:55:46If he doesn't pay it within six months,
0:55:46 > 0:55:48then he's going to prison for six years.
0:55:48 > 0:55:52'It's one of the biggest awards of its kind in the UK.'
0:55:52 > 0:55:54Zoe's first case. Zoe's first case.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56So how do you feel, Zoe?
0:55:56 > 0:55:58Probably still slightly shell-shocked, I think.
0:55:58 > 0:56:03Because I've lived and breathed this case for so long it sort of...
0:56:03 > 0:56:04Doesn't take your life over,
0:56:04 > 0:56:07but I feel like I practically know these people.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11This is my first case really, so is this a normal result?
0:56:11 > 0:56:12It's a phenomenal result.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15You definitely deserve a big glass of wine.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17Do you think he will pay?
0:56:17 > 0:56:21I've no idea. I have no idea.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23It's a question you should ask him.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29Hi, Mr Mayomi.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31Can I grab a word with you?
0:56:31 > 0:56:35How did you think about that? How did that go?
0:56:35 > 0:56:37Happy about that?
0:56:37 > 0:56:39Nearly 1.2 million, that's a lot of money.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41How are you going to pay that back?
0:56:42 > 0:56:44I suppose you got six months.
0:56:44 > 0:56:48How did it feel when you heard the judge say that he didn't see
0:56:48 > 0:56:51any evidence that he could believe?
0:56:51 > 0:56:52"No probity," he said, I think.
0:56:52 > 0:56:56So you've got six months to get the 1.2 million.
0:56:56 > 0:56:59What's your next...? Well, that's not very nice, is it?
0:56:59 > 0:57:02What's your next step after 1.2 million?
0:57:02 > 0:57:04You've got six months.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06Will you pay it, do you think?
0:57:10 > 0:57:12I don't think he really wanted to talk to us,
0:57:12 > 0:57:15but I suppose he's got bigger things to worry about just now.
0:57:17 > 0:57:191.2 million in six months.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25Next time in On The Fiddle,
0:57:25 > 0:57:29how ordinary people try it on for a spot of free parking.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32Can I...? No, you can't.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35How can I calm down when my car was towed?
0:57:35 > 0:57:37Because you have taken a disabled space
0:57:37 > 0:57:40from somebody who needs the bay.
0:57:40 > 0:57:43The con man on benefits with a string of businesses
0:57:43 > 0:57:44and posh properties.
0:57:47 > 0:57:51This is the latest manifestation of my mid-life crisis,
0:57:51 > 0:57:54which seems to be going on forever.
0:57:54 > 0:57:56And a seemingly respectable businessman
0:57:56 > 0:57:59dodging tens of thousands in VAT.
0:58:01 > 0:58:03Can we cut the film, please?
0:58:03 > 0:58:06Subtitles By Red Bee Media Ltd