A single mother diverted Universal Credit payments intended for welfare claimants into her own bank account to settle her cocaine debt.
Hayley Powell, 43, worked as an administrative case manager throughout the 14-month scam for the Ashton-Makerfield office in Wigan.
She pinched shortfalls in benefits credits and forwarded them onto herself. READ MORE: 'I will kill you': Predator threatened children before raping them in his car Investigators who unravelled the scam found Powell had used her DWP log-in details and password to carry out 33 fraudulent online transactions.
She also diverted payments into the bank account of a close friend, Jonathan Duffy, 46, a struggling single father - even demanding a "cut" of his proceeds.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk