American pensioner jailed for £45,000 benefit fraud

An American OAP has been jailed after he admitted a £45,000 benefit scam.

US citizen Robert Hopkins told the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and council bosses he lived with his wife, who had no income.

The claims allowed him to rake in pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit.

In reality, however, his wife had a £33,000 a year job with Angus Council – part of which involved her advising clients with their benefits claims.

Hopkins carried on his scam for almost three years, netting £15,000 a year in handouts to which he was not entitled.

The 76-year-old, of Westhaven Gardens, Arbroath, pled guilty on indictment at Dundee Sheriff Court to two charges under the Social Security Administration Act committed between April 1 2012 and October 2015.

Depute fiscal Eilidh Robertson said: “As a result of intelligence received by the DWP they commenced an investigation into the accused that uncovered his wife had been working full-time as a care manager with Angus Council since April 2012.”

Colleagues said the woman worked with people with learning disabilities and her role involved helping her clients with their benefits claims.

Hopkins’ defence solicitor Billy Rennie told the court: “He didn’t intimate the changes in his wife’s employment to the authorities.

“He receives nothing now

– he is a US citizen and hasn’t put enough contributions in, despite being here for 30 years.”

Jailing Hopkins for eight months, Sheriff Alastair Carmichael told him: “This was a significant amount defrauded from the state.”