A SOCIAL worker, who built up a £500,000 property portfolio off the back of fraudulent benefits claims, has been jailed for 18 months.

Jennifer Myrie, 50, of Waarden Road, Canvey, was behind an elaborate housing benefit fraud ring, involving some of her relatives as tenants, which bagged her £140,000.

Yesterday she pleaded guilty to 19 counts of benefit fraud before being sentenced at Basildon Crown Court.

The money was used to pay off mortgages on three houses in South London that were then sold on for a total of £533,000 in 2006.

At one point, Myrie claimed housing benefits for a council house in Lambeth, but then sub-let it and did not declare any of the rental income.

She also used two different names so she could pose as landlord and tenant on another property.

The fraud spanned a total of ten years from 1999, and involved other members of her family.

Daughter Shereen Aiken, 32, of East Sussex, and brother Roger Myrie, 39, plus his partner Wafaa Hassoun, from Winterswick Avenue, Canvey, also claimed a string of housing and council tax benefits while her tenants as part of the scam.

Myrie did not disclose any of the rental income from relatives.

Judge Ian Graham said: “She used this money to pay off her mortgages.

“She was effectively having the taxpayer fund her portfolio of properties. There was a significant element of fraud.

“You were at the centre of a large scale fraudulent benefits enterprise that netted you £140,000.”

He said he accepted it initially began as an honest claim in the interests of her family, but once the fraud began, it became to difficult for her to “unravel and tell the truth”.

Hassoun and Aiken admitted six counts of falsely claiming about £30,000 each in benefits by not declaring their relationships to Myrie and were sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and 120 hours community service.

Roger Myrie admitted fraudulently claiming £14,000 in benefits and received a sentence of four months jail, suspended for 12 months.

Due to a leg injury, he was not fit for community service so is under an electronically- monitored curfew at his home from 9pm to 6am each day.