Deaf Couple Face Charges for Submission of False Claims for Sign Language Interpreters

A deaf couple in the U.K. and their two children are being tried for submitting false invoices for sign language interpreter benefits. Shahab Reza has already admitted to the scam, from which he collected thousands of pounds in benefits from the state.

Implicated in this case are his wife, Shehnaz, and Zainab and Abbas, their two children, although they deny their participation in the plot to defraud the government. London’s Southwark Crown Court said that the invoices were submitted so the Reza family could claim reimbursements for services supposedly rendered by sign language interpreters. However, the prosecutors claim that Reza and his family actually used the money, estimated to be around £800,000, to support a luxurious lifestyle.

The scam

Reza and his wife are certifiably deaf, which is why Reza, who lives in Perivale, west London, was able to submit to the Department of Work and Pensions fake sign language interpreter invoices through the Access to Work program. Reza admitted that he spearheaded the scheme, which escaped detection for over four years. He has confessed his guilt on every count cited in the indictment, and this crime could earn him several years in prison.

The payments given to him came in the form of welfare benefits for the disabled. Prosecutor Rosina Cottage, QC, explained that Reza claimed that he and his wife needed the help of British sign language interpreters in order to obtain benefits from the Access to Work system managed by the Department of Work and Pensions. Instead of paying for interpreters, prosecutors assert that the Reza family actually used the funds they received to finance university and holiday fees, as well as to buy jewelry and real estate.

Elaborate scheme

Prosecutor Cottage noted that the money was paid into several bank accounts held by the Reza family members. The Reza residence was financed through the state’s housing benefit allowance, and daily expenses connected with the children were provided via bursaries and grants. To hide their actions, the Rezas had to make it appear that the money being spent came from lawful income made from business endeavors. According to the prosecutor, the Reza family laundered the money through their bank accounts in the U.K., United Arab Emirates, and Canada.

Prosecutors determined that the Rezas own a penthouse apartment worth £600,000, in addition to a new luxury home and other properties in Dubai. Upon their arrest, the police found a diamond worth £8,000, as well as gems and gold jewelry worth several thousand pounds. The court also learned that between 2002 and 2010, Reza lied about his family’s financial conditions to the Harrow Council, from which he was able to receive tax exemptions and benefits that amounted to about £100,000. Reza and his family are further accused of fraudulent acts against the National Health Service and the Student Loans Company, the latter claim made because son, Abbas, received an educational grant based on falsified financial documents. Through deceit, the Rezas were able to receive benefits from the Housing and Council Tax in order to pay for their house, including an overpayment of about £100,000.

Besides the Rezas, four other deaf friends of theirs are implicated in the scam. The trial is expected to last for two months.

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