Locals living near to a shop used as a front by Britain’s biggest fraudsters have slammed them for taking benefits cash from poverty-stricken Brits, and said the police should’ve acted earlier.
Antonia Food, a former Bulgarian grocery store which sold a range of meats, cheeses and other delicacies, located on High Road in Wood Green, north London, acted as a front for a foreign crime group now revealed to be the UK’s biggest ever benefit fraudsters, who made off with £54m.
During a four-and-a-half-year spree, the gang of five crooks used a combination of fake identities and real customers to make roughly 6,000 fraudulent Universal Credit claims, operating out of three ‘benefits factories’ in north London.
The gang of five shameless grifters used their ill-gotten gains to fund a lavish lifestyle, splashing out cash on designer clothes, watches while shamelessly flaunting expensive spa breaks and luxurious trips abroad on social media.
Many locals in the area recognised photos of the criminals – Galina Nikolova, 38, Stoyan Stoyanov, 27, Tsvetka Todorova, 52, Gyunesh Ali, 33, and Patritsia Paneva, 26 – but were also afraid to talk about their activities for fear of repercussions.
Nikolova is also seen standing behind the counter of Antonia’s Foods in Wood Green, pouting at the camera alongside an unknown man
Two of the criminals – Galina Nikolova, 38, and Stoyan Stoyanov, 27 – pictured together in 2020 while on holiday in Turkey
Patritsia Paneva, 26, (left) and Tsvetka Todorova, 52, (right) pleaded guilty alongside the four other criminals at Wood Green Crown Court
Gyunesh Ali, 33, pleaded guilty alongside the four other criminals at Wood Green Crown Court
Prosecutors said the gang used the benefits system ‘like a cash machine’. Pictured: Huge stacks of cash found during the investigation
One employee working at a local business said he especially recognised loved-up Bulgarian cheats Nikolova and Stoyanov – saying they used to smoke outside the store at all hours of the day and night.
The man, who insisted his name not be published, said: ‘[The benefits fraud] was going on for a long time.
‘You would see lots of people coming in and going out [of Antonia Food] all the time.
‘The people [in the photos] look familiar. Somebody must have grassed them in or something.
‘They were smoking in front of the shop all the time.
‘You just keep quiet, keep your head down – but when you see £54m and think it’s coming out of our benefits, you feel it’s not so great.
‘It takes the police so long to do anything… You see so many offences around here.’
However, despite recognising the five Bulgarian fraudsters, the local man added they did not flash the cash.
‘The didn’t flaunt their wealth,’ he said. ‘The first two (Nikolova and Stoyanov) were always there.
‘Its shameful… £54m at a time of crisis, and there’s lots more who do it.’
Ali Lilel owns the Turkish food store that has replaced Antonia Food – and was shocked to discover what the former tenants of the shop had done.
The 40-year-old, from Turkey, said he and his colleagues had moved to the site around eight months ago, and had heard from other business owners that the inside of the shop had been mysteriously ‘burned out’.
Nikolova and Stoyanov, 27, are two of the five criminals involved in Britain’s biggest ever benefits fraud raking in almost £54million after using thousands of fake ID claims to fuel their luxurious lifestyles
The crooked couple cuddle up together in an earlier snap taken in Palmers Green, north London, with Nikolova boasting: ‘The air that I breathe’ in the online post from September 2020
The enormous haul of money gained from the claims was laundered through a number of accounts, then withdrawn in cash – with £750,000 in bank notes found stuffed in suitcases at one of their homes
‘We didn’t know it was a Bulgarian shop [before],’ father-of-one Mr Lilel said
‘When we took over, the shop was closed… It was burned, that’s what people were saying.’
On the gang’s admitted frauds, he added: ‘Because of these people, the people who need benefits can’t get their money.
‘The people who live here need it, they [the criminals] don’t need it.
‘They came to this country and gain benefits for people even if they’re not living here.
‘I have been living here for 30 years. We have to get the money to the people who need it. It’s just terrible.’
Diana, a Lithuanian woman who also lives locally, believes Antonia Food wasn’t the only business in the area being used as a front for illegal activities.
The 51-year-old said she believes many of them are run by criminal gangs – possibly from Eastern Europe.
She said: ‘There are lots of cafes around here, but some others have been closed by police.
‘Why would you have a shop or a restaurant that has never been opened?
‘There are quite a few Albanians operating here. You know what is going on.
‘When Antonia Food was open, you could see the gang culture; they opened later.
‘I have lived here for ten years. Us working people take the crap. I would send them all home.’
On Gyunesh Ali’s mobile phone that was seized, officers found a video showing the fraudsters showering their flat with hundreds of £20 notes
Nikolova filmed a trip to Birmingham where Villa Park, the home ground of Aston Villa’s football club.
She also captured a trip to the Aston Hall stately, posing and pouting outside the historic building in a video on TikTok
Diana, a manager in the health and social care sector, added: ‘I am an immigrant, and I took two months off when my father passed away – that’s it.’
Chloe Bedford, a teacher from Wood Green who works with deaf children, didn’t recognise any photos of the fraudsters, nor had she heard about their crimes.
But upon learning what they’d done, she lamented the criminals for stealing millions in benefits that could have gone to families who were actually struggling.
The 63-year-old, who has several children, said: ‘What a bunch of a*******s. They were probably working for some rich crime boss in Albania.
‘People are desperate at the moment.
‘It says a lot about the state of our country at the moment on every level.
‘I know a lot of people who are desperate for benefits and are practically broken by the procedure in getting them.
‘These people are just trying to get by. These are the ones who will be vilified by these sorts of stories and my heart goes out to them.’
Another address said to have been affiliated with the gang in Wood Green, on Whittington Road, is now a barbershop that has been operating for two-and-a-half years.
No residents in the area recognised any of the criminals, nor knew anything about the story.
Others who admitted they might recognise them refused to speak, clearly fearing repercussions.
At another address in Stoke Newington affiliated with the Bulgarians, no residents or neighbours recognsied the benefit fraudsters or had heard about their crimes.
Despite showing off their opulent lifestyle to social media followers, they weren’t caught for nearly five years.
In one post, two of the fraudsters – Nikolova and her lover Stoyanov – boasted about a luxurious trip to Turkey, where they visited Istanbul’s famed Grand Bazaar, posing together in designer DKNY shirts.
And in a clip shared on social media, crooked Nikolova shares a peck on he lips with Stoyanov after she receives a gift
Nikolova and Stoyanov pose at an attraction during a lavish trip to Istanbul (left) in September 2020, before later sharing a photo together on a jaunt to Manchester (right) in October 2020
The pair of con artists also shared a snap canoodling on a trip to a luxury spa in Manchester. And Nikolova posted a picture of bunches of roses, gifted by her ‘love’.
While in a different post, a pouting Nikolova filmed a trip to Birmingham where she visited the Aston Hall stately home before watching a match at Villa Park, the home ground of Aston Villa’s football club.
Another clip recorded by the gang, showed one of them shamelessly showering their flat with hundreds of £20 notes, while a woman scrambles on her hands and knees to pick them up.
But behind the façade of wealth lay a dirty secret of fraud that left the British taxpayer £54million out of pocket.
Prosecutors said they operated from three ‘benefits factories’ in north London.
One of the hubs was behind a functioning corner shop selling groceries. The group appeared to be hiding in plain sight – with Nikolova posting photos on social media smiling and posing behind the counter of Antonia’s Foods supermarket in Wood Green.
The store, in High Road, specialised in Bulgaria, Turkish, Romanian and Polish foods.
The enormous haul of money gained from their ‘complex financial web’ of claims was laundered through a number of accounts, then withdrawn in cash – with £750,000 in bank notes found stuffed in suitcases at one of their homes.
Nikolova and Stoyanov in pictures during their various trips while operating as part of a criminal gang of Bulgarian fraudsters
They used their ill-gotten gains to fund luxury lifestyles, buying designer clothes, watches and even a high-end Audi sports car
Investigators who arrested the gang and searched their properties also discovered hundreds of ‘claim packs’ containing forged and false documents, and more than 900 digital devices.
Prosecutors said the gang used the benefits system ‘like a cash machine’ and on one of the seized mobile phones was a video showing the fraudsters showering their flat with hundreds of £20 notes.
The businesses the criminals operated claimed to assist people with obtaining a national insurance number and benefits to which they were entitled.
But between October 2016 and May 2021, the organised criminal group made about 6,000 fraudulent claims.
They were supported by forged documents including fictitious tenancy agreements, counterfeit payslips and forged letters from landlords, employers and GPs.
If any claims were rejected, the fraudsters would persevere until they were approved.
All five were arrested on May 5, 2021, as part of the Met’s Operation Volcanic but Ali fled to Bulgaria following his release under investigation.
He was extradited back to Britain in February last year and eventually admitted conspiracy to make false representations, possession of articles for use in a fraud and possessing criminal property.
As investigators searched through their homes they found hundreds of ‘claim packs’ containing forged and false documents were found and seized, as well as bundles of cash stuffed in shopping bags and suitcases, a luxury car and designer goods including watches, jackets, and glasses.
When faced with the large amount of incriminating evidence which included encrypted messages, CCTV footage, forged documents, seized digital devices and bank statements, the defendants eventually all pleaded guilty.
All five will be sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court on May 28.
Specialist Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor Ben Reid said: ‘This case is the largest benefit fraud prosecution ever brought to the courts in England and Wales.
‘This was an industrial-scale fraud committed by an organised criminal group.
Stoyanov poses on social media with a red rose laid on him and a tattoo of a woman on his arm that looks like his co-conspirator Nikolova
Nikolova poses on her Instagram, where she shares images with her fellow fraudster Stoyan Stoyanov
In another post on social media, shameless Nikolova is seen posing in an elaborate dress
‘They carried out a sustained attack on a system designed to support the most vulnerable people in our society and treated it like a cash machine to fund their own lavish lifestyles.’
‘These convictions mark what has been the largest benefit fraud prosecution and investigation ever brought to the courts in England and Wales.
‘For years, these defendants were involved in an organised criminal gang which conspired to create thousands of false claims for Universal Credit, at a staggering cost of more than £50 million to the taxpayer.’
Mel Stride, Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions, which led the probe with the CPS, said: ‘Building on our success in preventing £18 billion going into the wrong hands in 2022/23, these convictions underline our commitment to protecting taxpayers’ money.’
Paul Maynard MP, the minister responsible for tackling benefit fraud, added: ‘Our investigators are working tirelessly to catch benefit cheats and this case builds upon our plan to save £1.3 billion on fraud and error.
‘At the same time, our Fraud Plan will help us implement a long-term strategy to minimise fraud and error and ensure value and fairness for the taxpayer.’
The CPS Proceeds of Crime Division will now pursue confiscation proceedings against the convicted gang members.
Meanwhile, the Government is currently legislating for new fraud powers which will allow the DWP to request data from third parties, such as banks, that could show signs of potential benefit fraud and potentially save the taxpayer up to £600 million over the next five years.
Universal credit was launched in April 2013 to replace six other benefits funds.
It provides monthly payments to people who are on low incomes or out of work.
The roll call of Britain’s benefit’s cheats:
Benefit fraud in Britain peaked at £8.6billion between 2021 and 2022, almost double what the levels they were at before the pandemic.
It has led to dozens of convictions over the last few years. Here, MailOnline highlights some of the crooks:
Ethel McGill, 72
McGill was labelled ‘Britain’s worst benefits cheat’ when she swindled £750,000 by hiding her father’s death and faking dementia.
Ethel McGill, pictured, pretended she had dementia as part of a long-running benefits and disability fraud
It led to the amateur actress to being jailed for five years and eight months in July 2019 before being given an extra months on her sentence in 2020 for failing to pay back £200,500 of her ill-gotten gains.
At Liverpool Crown Court, McGill admitted hiding her late father Robert Dennison’s death for 12 years so she could claim his war pension and benefits.
On one occasion she got a friend to lie under a blanket and pretend to be him at her home in Runcorn, Cheshire.
The CPS said at the time that it was one of the ‘largest ever cases of benefit fraud by a single person’.
Ali Bana Mohamed, 42
Ali Bana Mohamed, 42, was jailed in 2022 for masterminding a decade-long scam to cheat taxpayers out of at least £1.7million
Mohamed, from Hulme in Manchester, faked the identities of almost 200 children to pocket public money.
He was jailed in 2022 for masterminding a decade-long scam to cheat taxpayers out of at least £1.7million.
He enlisted relatives and friends to assist him in submitting bogus claims under about 70 different names, using stolen identities of adults along with the fake birth certificates of 188 children.
All the fraudulent claims were made on the basis that the adult had care of named children and was entitled to child benefit and tax credits.
Mohamed admitted 29 fraud offences and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison in 2022. Last year he was ordered to repay more than £2million.
Neil Filer, 46
Filer pocketed nearly £30,000 of taxpayers’ money after falsely claiming he had an array of serious medical conditions – then splurged the cash on cocaine and a lavish lifestyle.
Neil Filer (pictured) pocketed nearly £30,000 of taxpayers’ money after falsely claiming he had an array of serious medical conditions
He told the Department for Work and Pensions he had diabetes, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and right-sided weakness after a heart attack – adding that his health was so bad he could walk only short distances.
The crook insisted he needed help with washing, bathing, dressing, preparing food, reading and remembering to eat, leading to extensive claims under the Personal Independent Payments scheme.
Meanwhile, on social media he made ‘boastful’ posts about an action-packed holiday to Orlando, Florida, with pictures showing him unaccompanied on a ’90ft drop slide’ at a waterpark and on a roller-coaster.
Filer pleaded guilty to a single count of fraud, claimed £29,245 over four years and nine months. He was likened to Little Britain character Andy Pipkin, who pretended to be disabled, after he was jailed for 11 months.
Mercedes Bradley, 33
Former Virgin Atlantic air stewardess Mercedes Bradley defrauded the taxpayer for £10,000 in benefits even though she had £48,000 in a secret bank account
Former Virgin Atlantic air stewardess Bradley claimed Universal Credit benefits even though she had £48,000 in a secret bank account where she received payments from ‘ex-boyfriends’ – one of whom transferred her more than £30,000.
She admitted was of dishonestly failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of capital savings or investments which would affect entitlement to Universal Credit between March 26 2020 and August 28 2021.
During this time she splashed cash on a boob job, other cosmetic surgery and a Peloton exercise bike. She was sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work in November 2022.
