A married Uxbridge couple raking in over a million in property, were found guilty and sentenced for tax fraud, committed while the wife worked for HMRC.

Former HMRC employee, 47-year-old Savita Seth and her husband Naveen Seth, 47, both of Manor Waye in Uxbridge, failed to declare over £1.2 million earned from their property portfolio to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and falsely claimed tax credits.

The wife avoided jail with a two year prison sentence, suspended for two years on Wednesday, March and husband Naveen was handed a three year and eight months prison sentence on February 26, 2016.

Both were found guilty after a trial at Isleworth Crown Court on January 14, 2016.

The pair didn't tell HMRC about the money they had earned from renting out and selling properties – evading over £170,000 in Capital Gains and Income Tax after allowable business expenses were taken into account. The couple also continued to claim tax credits without declaring the cash.

Landlord couple bought 16 properties in six years

Investigators uncovered evidence proving that between 1996 and 2012, the couple bought 16 properties and lied about their income.

At the time they were caught, they owned nine residential properties in London and Berkshire, two business premises in Bingley, West Yorkshire, and Cumbria, a static caravan in the UK and two holiday homes in Spain and USA.

The pair rented out the majority of the properties, including rooms in their own home, and their driveway.

Joff Parsons, Head of Internal Governance Criminal Investigations, HMRC, said: “As an HMRC employee Savita Seth was in a privileged position and knew better than to hide her income.

“But she was motivated by greed and betrayed the trust that was placed in her and cheated the tax system she was employed to uphold.

“HMRC will not tolerate misconduct. We will thoroughly investigate any allegation of wrong doing and bring those responsible before the courts so justice can be served.”

The pair were also found to have submitted false claims for tax credits resulting in an overpayment of £66,242.

Confiscation proceedings will now commence to reclaim any financial gain from committing these crimes.