Former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno has been jailed for nine months for fraudulently claiming $67,500 (£45,000) in welfare benefits.
The 52-year-old rocker, who left the band in 1981, admitted swindling the British government out of the money by falsely claiming nerve damage to his back prevented him from working.
Di'Anno - real name Paul Andrews - was found to have continued performing gigs while he was claiming state handouts and pleaded guilty to wrongfully claiming income support, housing and council tax benefit between 2002 and 2008.
The singer appeared at Salisbury Crown Court in Salisbury, England on Friday (11Mar11) and was sentenced to nine months behind bars.
Judge Jane Miller QC, who was overseeing the case, told the star, "Your greed has cost this country a lot of money. The claims were for a long time and for a large cost... It took many years to track you down. In 2007 you performed at 69 venues, in 2006 you performed 67 times. I do not accept you only got expenses."