Dr. Olubunmi Adeagbo-Sheikh, a Nigerian doctor based in the UK, has been found guilty of orchestrating a housing benefits scam, falsely claiming nearly £12,000.
According to reports by the Daily Mail, Adeagbo-Sheikh committed the fraud during his medical training in the UK between September 2018 and September 2019.
He created a fictitious landlord named Paul Baker and forged a tenancy agreement for an apartment in Gipsy Hill, London, claiming to pay £900 per month in rent.
However, investigations revealed that the address provided was non-existent.
Authorities discovered that Adeagbo-Sheikh resided with his mother in Swanley, Kent, not at the claimed London address.
He received monthly payments, including housing benefits, totaling £1,217.82 from the Department for Work and Pensions.
Following an investigation, Adeagbo-Sheikh was arrested in October 2019. Subsequent police searches uncovered incriminating evidence, including fraudulent application documents and WhatsApp conversations discussing false claims for universal credit.
He pleaded guilty to making a false statement to obtain benefits and was sentenced to a 12-month community order, along with 100 hours of unpaid work.
The judge acknowledged the potential impact of a custodial sentence on his medical career but emphasized the seriousness of his actions and their societal repercussions.
