44-year-old didn't declare five bank accounts
A Sulby man who owned property worth a million pounds wrongly claimed tens of thousands of pounds in benefits, a court’s heard.
Forty-four-year-old Darren Shafik-Mikael of Carrick Park appeared before magistrates at Douglas courthouse.
At an earlier hearing, he’d pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to inform officials of a change in his circumstances as well as four of making false representations to obtain benefits.
Prosecution advocate Roger Kane told the hearing Shafik-Mikael has claimed income support and jobseeker’s allowance over the two-year period starting in 2018.
Magistrates heard he hadn’t declared five bank accounts, a wealth management fund or two homes in America and Ireland.
Mr Kane said the two undeclared properties were worth a total of £570,000.
Defence advocate Laurence Vaughan-Williams told the court Shafik-Mikael had intended to give the Irish property to his ex-wife in a divorce settlement, and the American property had been conned out of him for just $100.
Magistrates said Shafik-Mikael would have known what he was doing was wrong, and imprisoned him for a total of six weeks.
Missed opportunity in inmate's care, inquest finds
Seven arrests made as part of King Gaming fraud and money laundering investigation
Motorists urged to avoid Cooil Road following RTC
Probation for man caught with knife at Sea Terminal
Warning after tea towel tumble dryer fire
Calls for Sarah's Law on Isle of Man
