Woman sentenced after cheating to get Surrey council home by hiding Polish property
The woman hid the fact she had a property back in Poland when she applied for social housing in Spelthorne
A woman who tried to cheat her way into obtaining social housing by hiding her overseas property has been sentenced at Guildford Crown Court.
Janina Marciniak-Kazarian received a 12-month Community Order after being found guilty of fraud.
Her sentence includes a 60-day curfew, meaning she must remain at home from 7pm to 7am each day.
She's also been ordered to pay prosecution costs of £11,837.52 and a £95 victim surcharge.
Earlier this year, Marciniak-Kazarian was convicted after a jury unanimously found her guilty of concealing her ownership of a property in Poland.
The court learned that she failed to declare this when applying for social housing in Spelthorne, Surrey.
If the council had known about the property, her application process would have been different, likely resulting in denial of the social housing property.
Evidence from local officials and paperwork showed her actions were deliberate, intended to improve her chances of getting social housing she wasn't entitled to.
Councilman Greg Neall said:
"This conviction sends a clear message that we will not tolerate housing fraud in Spelthorne. Social housing is a limited and valuable public resource, and every property obtained dishonestly is one less home available for someone who genuinely needs it. We are committed to protecting our housing stock through proactive investigations and will take robust action against anyone who seeks to abuse the system."