Gambling addict spared jail after cheating taxpayer out of nearly £70k in state benefits
A GAMBLING addict cheated the taxpayer out of nearly £70,000 in state benefits while his wife had more than £200,000 in the bank, a court heard.
Chung Fong fraudulently claimed nearly £70,000 in state benefits
Retired takeaway owner Chung Fong helped himself to handouts over a ten-year period to fund his addiction.
The 75-year-old had been denied access to his family’s bank accounts because his wife did not trust him.
Instead, he fraudulently applied for pension credit and council tax benefit and claimed a total of £68,000.
Fong, who addressed the court through a Cantonese interpreter, was spared jail after admitting fraud.
The retired takeaway owner was spared jail after admitting fraud
Judge Daniel Williams suspended his ten-month prison sentence for a period of 18 months.
You had a severe gambling addiction which is where the monies went
He told the defendant: “You had a severe gambling addiction at the time which is where no doubt the monies went.
“If you had been convicted after a trial your sentence would have been 15 months imprisonment.
“But in light of your guilty plea I reduce the sentence and I do not send you straight to prison.”
Fong claimed the benefits to fund his gambling addiction
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Ruth Smith, prosecuting, told Newport Crown Court, South Wales, Fong had dishonestly claimed £64,451 in pension credit and £4,328 in council tax benefit.
She said he should have declared everything owned by both himself and his wife.
Investigators found that as well as having £200,000 pound in the bank, cheques for more than £100,00 were drawn on the accounts.
When arrested two years ago, Fong told police he did not know his wife’s financial affairs and had gambled away the proceeds of his takeaway sale.
Mr Fong's wife denied him access to their joint account to prevent him gambling away their money
Gareth Williams, defending, said: “He knew that his wife had money but he tells me he wasn’t sure exactly how much.
“They have been living a separate type of marriage in terms of money because of Mr Fong’s gambling problem.
“His family didn’t allow him access to these accounts for these reasons.
“The monies referred to are not in his name but his wife’s name and he can’t get to it for obvious reasons.”
Fong, of Newport, must face a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing on July 27 to decide how much he must repay.