But when Bartosz Lasota was caught out by investigators, he fled back to Eastern Europe for four years to escape justice.
He was rearrested when he flew into East Midlands Airport earlier this month and was this week brought before Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court.
He has now been given a suspended jail sentence – but no order was made to pay back the money.
The court heard that Lasota was overpaid £5,225.21 in housing benefit and £869.10 of council tax benefit while working at a supermarket in Long Eaton.
An investigation by Erewash Borough Council discovered the overpayment and interviewed him in 2010.
He said his wife was working, information he had not previously divulged, and that he was using the benefit overpayments to save up and buy a house back home in his native Poland.
He was arrested and pleaded guilty to fraud at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court in October 2010 but then fled the country.
Magistrates bailed him for a sentencing hearing on November 1 2010 but he did not turn up and remained "at large" until November 3 this year when he landed at East Midlands Airport on a flight from Poland and was arrested.
Rafaqat Ali, prosecuting on behalf of the borough council, told the hearing: "On October 11, 2010, Mr Lasota attended court and his hearing was adjourned for him to come back on November 1 and it was on that date that he disappeared off the radar.
"He said when he arrived back in the country this month, that he had left the country in either October or November 2010 and he was, effectively, at large."
Mr Ali told the hearing that Lasota, 28, now of Beech Road, Long Eaton, had started claiming benefits when he lived with his wife and child in Trafalgar Terrace, in the town, in January 2008.
At the time he was working at the town's Tesco Extra store and had signed a declaration as to how much money he was earning.
But Mr Ali said Lasota's hours and pay increased which he did not declare to the council.
Mr Ali said: "An assessment noticed the overpayment and he was called in for an interview with the council.
"During it he admitted that he was working more hours and had not declared it and was asked the reason why.
"He told the interviewing officer that he was using the money to save up a deposit to purchase a property in Poland.
"He also told them that his wife was working and his benefits were recalculated resulting in the £6,000 overpayments."
Lasota, who represented himself in court, said he had fled home to Poland as he was having relationship problems with his wife.
Speaking through an interpreter he told magistrates: "I was not aware of the seriousness of the whole process. I was having problems with my relationship with my wife and to me much of the problems were happening at the same time so I decided that the best option was to leave (the country)."
It was not revealed in court why Lasota had decided to return to Derbyshire four years later.
He pleaded guilty to fraud and to failing to surrender to custody,
Magistrates gave him a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, ordered him to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £300 prosecution costs.
Speaking after sentencing, Ian Sankey, director of resources and deputy chief executive at Erewash Borough Council said: “Benefit fraud is theft of public money – money that was intended for the most vulnerable in our community.
“Erewash Borough Council has always made it clear that it will not tolerate benefit fraud and we will investigate thoroughly all allegations and work together with agencies, such as the police, to bring to justice those people who make dishonest claims and, effectively, steal from our community.
“Benefit fraud is a crime and those found breaking the law face a criminal record.”
Vote BNP to stop these criminals getting in the country in the first place
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