Man (57) jailed for fraudulently claiming over €61,000 in social welfare

A man who came to Ireland under a false name has been jailed for fraudulently claiming more than €61,000 in social welfare and ordered to repay the money.

Casaba Ilyes (57), a Hungarian national with an address on South Circular Road, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to sample charges of stealing a total of €61,633 in social welfare at various post offices on dates between July 2011 and July 2017.

He also admitted possession of a Hungarian driving license knowing it to be false on March 28th, 2019. He has previous convictions for road traffic offences.

Det Garda Eimhear Keeshan told Dara Hayes BL, prosecuting, that in November 2017 staff in the Department of Social Protection noticed that the photographs on documentation relating to a Hungarian national bore similarities to Ilyes’ genuine identification.

An investigation began and confidential information led to the discovery that a particular vehicle was registered to Ilyes and his address. When the documentation relating to the vehicle was analysed, it was discovered that Ilyes’ photograph was the same as that on the bogus Hungarian ID.

Ilyes’ home was subsequently searched and four false driving license and passports bearing the other name were discovered.

Full admissions

He was arrested in March 2019 and made full admissions during garda interview. He said he came to Ireland in 2003 under the false identity but later applied for a Hungarian passport in his own name.

He worked under his own name but continued to claim jobseekers’ allowance under the false name.

Seoirse Ó Dúlaing BL, defending, said his client had paid back €12,900 but there was still some €48,000 outstanding.

Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Ilyes to 2½ years in prison but suspended the final 18 months on strict conditions. She said Ilyes must repay the outstanding balance owed to the State within eight years.

The judge acknowledged that many letters handed into the court on Ilyes’ behalf described him as a well-liked member of the Hungarian community in Ireland. She accepted that he had worked legally under his true identity and had proven himself to an industrious person. Judge Greally also accepted that Ilyes’ pleas of guilty saved the State the cost of a lengthy and complicated trial.