AN estate agent and her sister who embarked on a ‘shameful’ scam to fraudulently claim housing benefit have been ordered to repay the money and do unpaid community work.
South Cheshire Magistrates heard Lara Barrett, who was an employee of a Crewe lettings agents, used her position to assist her sister Leanda to claim more than £1,000 in benefits by supplying her with counterfeit tenancy agreements.
Lara Barrett, 31, of Furnival Street, Crewe, who has since been sacked from her job, and Leanda Barrett, 21, of Railton Avenue, Crewe, pleaded guilty at court in Crewe on September 10 to fraud.
Councillor Peter Raynes, CEC’s cabinet member in charge of finance, said: “This is a shameful case of two people deliberately setting out to defraud the public purse. Benefit fraud is plain wrong and will not be tolerated by this Council.”
Magistrates heard that Lara Barrett produced three fake tenancy agreements while working for Wright Manley, now Wright Marshall, lettings in Crewe. She used one of these to attempt to claim housing benefit from Cheshire East Council (CEC).
The other two counterfeit forms she provided to her sister, Leanda, in order allow her to claim more than £1,000 in housing benefit.
CEC’s benefit fraud investigation team uncovered the fraud during a probe into a discrepancy in the information provided for the benefit claims.
The investigations also discovered that Lara Barrett had forged one of her firm’s employee’s signatures to draw up the fake tenancy agreements.
At court, Lara Barrett admitted three offences of fraudulently drawing-up tenancies. Leanda Barrett admitted one offence of fraudulently claiming benefits by false representation.
Both were sentenced to a 12-month community order to carry out 40 hours’ unpaid work.
Magistrates also ordered the pair to each pay £200 prosecution costs and £60 victim’s surcharge each and repay to the Council the fraudulently-obtained benefit money.
CEC thanked Wright Manley (Wright Marshall) for their assistance in the investigation.
To report suspected fraud, visit www.cheshireeast.gov.uk
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