Grenfell fraudster who claimed 拢87,000 jailed for more than six years
Yonatan Eyob said he had lived in the tower, claiming thousands of pounds in hotel stays and cards before he was found out.
Friday 7 September 2018 22:40, UK
A drug dealer who claimed nearly 拢87,000 in funds by pretending he lived in Grenfell Tower has been jailed for more than six years.
Yonatan Eyob, 26, was given emergency hotel accommodation, a food allowance and pre-paid cards when he claimed he was lodging with his friend in Flat 182 on the night of the fire.
The flat had been home to a family of five who all died.
Drugs including MDMA, cocaine and ketamine were found in his hotel room along with seven mobile phones, £3,000 in cash, designer clothes, jewellery and credit cards.
After pleading guilty to fraud by false representation, Eyob was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
He was given a further three years and four months for five counts related to drug offences, including possession of criminal property, and possession with intent to supply.
Judge Giles Curtis-Raleigh said: "You were profiting from the deaths of those people and the fact that they were in effect silenced."
He told Eyob he had tried to "enrich" himself by "plundering the funds that were put aside for the victims".
According to the CPS it's the largest known convicted Grenfell fraud so far.
He received £15,918.20 on pre-paid cards, £60,945 in hotel accommodation and £9,968.36 for laundry and parking - a total of just over £86,831.
Eyob got emergency accommodation at Holland Park Hilton between July 2017 and June 2018.
He had the use of a white convertible Mercedes, and even asked for more money, telling the council he found it hard to eat the hotel's food.
Eyob also complained about the Hilton's WiFi signal.
When police raided his room, they found a piece of paper with names and phone numbers, as well as text messages related to drug dealing.
Hannan Wahabi, the sister of Abdulaziz El-Wahabi, who lived in flat 182, said what Eyob did was a "stain on all those who died" in the fire.
In a victim impact statement she said fraud was "another unwelcome extra heartache and stress to deal with".
Catherine Gould, from the CPS, said: "Yonatan Eyob took advantage of a terrible tragedy for his own greed.
"He carried on his fraud for nearly a year, diverting funds from those who genuinely needed it and betraying the trust of everyone who gave him assistance.
"If his deceit had not been discovered he would have been eligible for a council home with free rent and council tax until July 2019."