Extract from the Mail Online website:
The profoundly deaf ringleader of an £800,000 disability allowance scam has been jailed for nine years after spending the cash on diamonds and foreign holidays.
Shahab Reza, 52, set up a network of fake companies around the world while receiving benefits and persuaded his wife Shehnaz, daughter and son to take part in his crimes.
By submitting bogus invoices for sign language interpreters, the couple from west London duped officials out of the huge sum with ‘scandalous ease’, a court heard.
The cash from the elaborate scam was used to buy a luxury home, a £600,000 penthouse, gold jewellery, an £8,000 ‘flawless’ diamond, a holiday to Dubai and a ‘student jolly’ to America.
Shehnaz Reza, 53, and her children, Dr Abbas Reza, 26, and Zainab Reza, 22, admitted the scam took place but insisted they were ‘doing what they were told’.
Enjoying our eggs? Support The Limping Chicken:
The Limping Chicken is the world's most popular Deaf blog, and is edited by Deaf journalist, screenwriter and director Charlie Swinbourne.
Our posts represent the opinions of blog authors, they do not represent the site's views or those of the site's editor. Posting a blog does not imply agreement with a blog's content. Read our disclaimer here and read our privacy policy here.
Find out how to write for us by clicking here, and how to follow us by clicking here.
The site exists thanks to our supporters. Check them out below:
- BSL Zone: TV programmes in BSL for the Deaf community
- Deaf Umbrella: what support is available for deaf students?
- Bellman & Symfon: home alerting solutions, including the mobile phone transceiver!
- SignVideo: Instant BSL video interpreting online
- SignHealth: check out the BSL health library
- 999 BSL: call 999 in an emergency, in BSL
- Appa: Looking for RSLIs, TSLIs and CSWs, apply here!
- Signly: Adding BSL to websites
- Signworld: Learn BSL online!
- DCAL: world-class research into deafness, cognition and language
- Action Deafness: “A Deaf-Led Charity” – interpreting & community support services
- Sign Solutions: Instant access to Interpreters, training and BSL translation nationwide
- InterpretersLive: On demand BSL video interpretation
- Lipspeaker UK: specialist lipspeaking support
- BID: Deaf services, including advice and support, interpreting, employment and letters
- Performance Interpreting: BSL interpreting at concerts
- National Deaf Children's Society: The leading charity for deaf children
Andy not him, me.
February 25, 2015
I know it is tempting to side with this dude because he is deaf. But consider this : Because of people like him, the rest of us have to go through merry hell to get our rightful benefits.
The very strict rules on benefits are because hearing people can’t stand the idea that one person might get away with a lot of money that they don’t deserve. So in order to prevent that they have made the rules for the rest of us much stricter. Every one of these cases makes things a little bit tougher for the rest of us.
That is why we should have zero tolerance for cheats.
katyjudd2013Katy Judd
February 25, 2015
Both deaf and hearing do not like cheats – benefit fraud and not paying correct tax mean less money to help people. Not fair.
cadiche
February 25, 2015
What a moron. I hate con artists and cheats, regardless of their Deaf / HoH / Hearing status. Jail is too good for him, and it makes Deaf look bad when Deaf do crap like this.
Tim
February 25, 2015
Here are my opinions on this:
Should the guy be punished? I don’t know; there certainly should be some sort of rehabilitation ans restitution, but ‘punishment’ seems rather childish to me – like ‘two wrongs make a right’ – they don’t.
Should he go to prison? Perhaps not – he neither killed nor maimed anybody; I think prison should be for violent and dangerous offenders – to keep them away from the rest of us until they are reformed.
Is nine years an excessive sentence? Wildly so! It is nearly double the basic starting point for rape – a much more serious offence. (Yes, I know that the law says he can be imprisoned for this length of time.) That is even before I get into the fact that prison sentences for Deaf people are considered to be ‘double sentences’ because prisons are not Deaf-friendly. At all.
When are we going to see tax dodgers get similar treatment?
Cathy
February 25, 2015
How on earth these deaf people thought they would get away with a scam on this scale I have no idea!!!
Their behaviour goes beyond stupid and gives the deaf community a very bad reputation.
It may seem excessive to give them 9yrs when we all know worse crimes against people have had lesser punishments. But it certainly acts as a deterrent.
They will find it tough in prison as it is not geared up for people who can’t hear, less still if they use BSL!!! It is feasible that with good behaviour they will only serve half the sentence, as is the norm under prison rules.
Even half the sentence will be a disaster for them, but we can’t go soft on people just because they are deaf!
I do believe however that massive companies evading tax: such as Google n Amazon etc should also feel the wrath of the courts!!
It is wholly unfair not to when even more massive sums of money is swindled!!
What is good for the goose is good for the gander!!!!
Runaway Train
February 25, 2015
Urgh, what a double-whammy – reflects badly on deaf people and benefits recipients (as if they’re not vilified enough as it is).