Crooked Lawyer And Associate Jailed For Legal Aid Rip-Off

A criminal defence solicitor and a legal associate have been jailed for a £430,000 Legal aid scam motivated by "breathtaking dishonesty and greed."

They ruthlessly inflated and forged every possible expense - even claiming for 26 hours work per day - until exposed by their own greed.

Solicitor Reuben Ewujowoh, 44,(pic.top l.) of Blythe Vale, Catford, boss of Rae and Co. of Trinity Street, Southwark was sentenced to five years imprisonment and will inevitably be struck-off.

Failed Ugandan-born asylum seeker Robert Odong, 33,(pic.top r.) a costs draughtsman of Bevin Court, Cruickshank Street, Gray's Inn, Islington was sentenced to two-and-a-half years and recommended for deportation.

Legal executive Lloyd McDonald, 68, of Collins Avenue, Sutton In Ashfield, Nottinghamshire was cleared by the Croydon Crown Court jury on both counts.

Ewujowoh and Odong were found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation in relation to two criminal trials.

Compensation proceedings against the pair will follow.

They plotted together between August 2 2007 and August 26 2008 to defraud Legal Aid in the case of Tsafack, which was heard at Leicester Crown Court and between July 30 2007 and August 26 2008 in the case of Rutayisere at Luton Crown Court.

"These three defendants all had a financial incentive to maximise the claims and in a clearly fraudulent scheme they massaged and amended every category of expense claimable in their financial favour," prosecutor Mrs Janet Weeks told the court.

The plot was exposed by chance when the same Legal Aid determining officer happened to be working on claims for both trials.

"She immediately noticed in the case of Tsafack it was far in excess of claims by others solicitors who represented other defendants in the same case," said Mrs Weeks.

In fact, Ewujowoh claimed 111 hours more preparation time than any other solicitor instructed.

"There was, in her opinion, clear evidence of fraudulent claims. Much of which were false and forged."

McDonald brought the two cases with him when joining Rae and Co. and stood to receive 40%-50% of all fees paid by Legal Aid.

"He attended Leicester Crown court from his home in the Midlands, but they claimed as if he had commuted each day from London and submitted forged taxi receipts," explained Mrs Weeks.

Odong is a freelance costs draughtsman who stood to receive 5% of the Legal Aid payment, the court was told.

"He appears to be responsible for hand-written alterations to attendance notes and taxi receipts."

A total of £163,769 was claimed for the Tsafack case - more than double any other solicitor - even though Ewujowoh had been instructed for up to nine months less than the other lawyers.

All preparation work was charged at the Category A rate of £167.25 per hour and a 200% uplift was successfully claimed on further expenses due to the complexity of the work.

"Mr. Ewujowoh is claiming to work more than twenty-four hours in a twenty-four hour period, claiming twenty-six hours day after day after day," said Mrs Weeks.

"The Crown say they sought to get as much as they could, the maximum out of these cases, but what caught them out is that they have done it for two cases side by side and there are not enough hours in the day.

Describing the defendants as "remourseless and ruthless in their behaviour" Judge John Tanzer announced it was clear they overcharged in five other cases - pocketing an extra £430,000.