A Bexley couple who stole nearly £300,000 from the NHS to fund fancy meals, lavish holidays and expensive shopping trips have been ordered to re-pay half the defrauded money.
The aptly-named Brenda Money, 62, and David Money, 65, formerly of Howard Avenue, have just three months to repay £142,350 - and risk having their jail terms extended if they fail to do so.
Mrs Money fleeced £296,400 whilst working as a cashier at the Memorial Hospital in Shooters Hill, by diverting petty cash claims to the couple’s joint bank account.
Between January 2010 and October 2011, the pair spent £26,000 in grocery deliveries from Ocado, Marks & Spencer and John Lewis.
Over the same time period, the Moneys treated themselves to five holidays in Turkey, as well trips to Hawaii and the Caribbean – and dined at the Oxo Tower in central London.
They also made mortgage repayments of £46,000 and paid off credit cards and cash loans worth £36,000.
Mechanic Mr Money denied any knowledge of his wife’s wrongdoing, despite living a lavish lifestyle which was way beyond their means.
At the time, Mr Money’s small business was making profits of just £24,250 – and his wife’s pre-tax income was £23,687.
The couple were jailed after separate trials at Woolwich Crown Court last year but continued to further deprive the tax-payer when they ignored a court order to use inheritance to re-pay their debts.
Earlier this year, the Moneys received extended custodial sentences of eight months each, after they transferred the cash into their daughter’s bank account and used it to pay off personal debts.
The new confiscation order was made at Woolwich on Friday and includes repossession of the family home and Mr Money’s pension.
Mrs Money must pay £68,490 and her husband £73,860.
The NHS are in the process of recovering cash from Mrs Money’s pension.
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Managing director of NHS Protect Susan Frith said: “Friday’s result shows that NHS Protect will vigorously pursue those who defraud the NHS.
“This confiscation order is for all of the available assets they have.”
Mrs Money was jailed for 30 months in March last year, after being found guilty of fraud by abuse of position.
Her husband was later found guilty of acquiring criminal property to the value of £164,000 and jailed for 15 months in November last year.
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