A pensioner who claimed more than £30,000 in benefits illegally failed to notify the authorities after he saved up more than £40,000.
Patrick Kertin, 67, of Cardiff, fraudulently claimed employment support allowance (ESA), council tax benefit, and housing benefit between 2011 and 2016 when he also had thousands of pounds sat across four bank accounts.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday heard Kertin's initial claims were genuine after he was found too ill to work.
He was required to sign declarations that should he possess capital of £6,000-plus he would receive a deduction in his benefits and should he possess capital of more than £16,000 he would lose his entitlement to benefits.
As of August 2011 the defendant had savings of more than £8,000 in capital but he failed to notify the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Caerphilly council as he was living in Rhymney at the time.
As of May 2012 Kertin had more than £16,000 in his bank account and by 2016 his accounts were in possession of more than £40,000 but still he failed to notify the authorities.
Prosecutor Tom Roberts was unable to say where the money had come from but defence barrister Stephen Thomas said the defendant had managed to save those sums from his benefits.
Kertin illegally benefited to the tune of £30,461 in total. He later pleaded guilty to three counts of benefit fraud.
Mr Roberts said there was no record of Kertin repaying any of the funds he received but Mr Thomas said his client was "adamant" he had made two payments of £1,000 and £2,000 respectively.
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The barrister added: "This offending took place a significant time ago. He makes no excuse and takes full responsibility for his offences. He acknowledges he made a poor decision and should have dealt with his difficulties in a different way."
Sentencing, Recorder Patrick Upward QC told Kertin he would not be sending him to prison. He added: "You made a silly decision when you didn't respond to the letters from the DWP and you have caused an awful lot of trouble since."
Kertin, of Ely Road, was sentenced to three months imprisonment suspended for 12 months.
