Two people have been sentenced after claiming thousands of pounds in benefits for 16 non-existent children.
Danny Wilshaw, 58, claimed more than £75,000 over four years and must serve half of a 20-month jail sentence.
Nancy Stevenson, 59, of Weston-super-Mare, was accused of claiming up to £11,000 in child tax credits over four years.
She was given a 12-month non-custodial order and must observe a curfew between 1900 and 0700 BST.
The pair, both from Weston-super-Mare, exploited a loophole after realising they did not have to send children's birth certificates to tax officials to prove they existed.
After his arrest, Wilshaw, a gambling addict with 85 previous convictions for fraud, claimed he had done a public service by exposing the loophole.
BOGUS CHILDREN'S NAMES
He told officers: "It was incredibly easy. Nobody checked up on us until last week."
Wilshaw, who masterminded the scam, lived with Stevenson in a one-room property in the town during the period they claimed for the bogus children.
He used the money to fund a gambling habit which cost up to £600 per week, while she admitted to drinking two bottles of brandy a day.
Judge Michael Harrington described Wilshaw's record as "appalling" after it was revealed he had 105 theft convictions.
He was told he must serve 10 months of a 20-month prison sentence after being convicted of 42 fraud offences.
Stevenson, who admitted one charge of tax credit fraud, received a 12-month community order and was told she must wear a tag for four months.
The judge said she spent her life "in an alcoholic haze".
After the case Sarah Bamford, of HM Revenue and Customs, said: "This case is the result of many months of intense and thorough work by a dedicated team of tax credit investigation officers, determined to see that these fraudsters were brought to justice."
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