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Irish prosecutors dropped money laundering and tax charges against a woman who had been due to stand trial at the Special Criminal Court, just five days after her ex-IRA partner pleaded guilty to similar tax offences.
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Jennifer Dunne (38), of Richmond, Blackrock, Co Dublin, had been accused of six money laundering offences relating to three AIB accounts between January 1st, 2018, and December 31st, 2019, and a further three counts of failing to furnish tax returns between October 31st, 2018 and October 31st, 2020.

At the Special Criminal Court on Tuesday, Dominic McGinn SC, for the State, told the non-jury court that certain documents had now been received by the State and that all nine charges against Ms Dunne were no longer being pursued by the Director of Public Prosecutions, in what is known as a 'nolle prosequi' application.

• https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/partner-of-ex-ira-man-walks-free-as-state-drops-money-laundering-charges-1548903.html

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Do you think she saw this coming??

‘Psychic medium’ who conned man into giving her €10,000 is jailed.

Debbie Paget was “an old-fashioned confidence trickster”.  Jailed for a year after she got a man to give her €10,000 by telling him his dead father had told her that if he didn’t give her the money “the devil would take his soul”.

Paget was criminally liable as she had taken large sums of money under threat, “even though those are supernatural threats”. The judge described the offence as “cunning and manipulative” and that Paget had “taken advantage” of Mr Byrne.

Please no spirit of the law puns!

• https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/psychic-medium-who-conned-man-into-giving-her-10000-is-jailed/a2120123922.html

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WATERFORD FOOTBALL CLUB owner Andy Pilley has been sentenced to 13 years in jail.

Pilley – who also owns Fleetwood Town – had already been found guilty on fraud and money-laundering charges relating to the mis-selling of energy contracts.

https://www.thesun.ie/sport/football/10983586/waterford-owner-andy-pilley-jail/

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Interesting #financialcrime typology for training purposes around 'easy money to be had' and the corruption of a younger 'technically savvy' generation.

In this case, Adam Gray, just 20 years old has been charged with 21 counts of unlawful use of a computer and attempted theft following an alleged #cryptocurrency fraud.

Readers might recall that a few years ago Conor Freeman (21) was jailed for role in $2 million cryptocurrency theft
identified by US Homeland Security as part of online group.  Freeman, jailed in Ireland, pleaded guilty to knowingly engaging in the possession of the proceeds of crime — namely 142.75682712 Bitcoin. Today (01 July 2023) that amount of bitcoin would be worth a hefty $4.35mn.

Not often is there media about dishonestly operating a computer “with the intention of making gain for yourself or another or causing loss to another”.  There is clearly more to the facts of this story than is currently in the public domain.  Mr Freeman was also charged with three counts of dishonestly operating a computer to make a gain.
Adam Gray, just 20 years old has been charged with 21 counts of unlawful use of a computer and attempted theft following an alleged cryptocurrency fraud. It is alleged that at a place unknown within the Ireland the accused dishonestly operated a computer, or caused it to be operated “with the intention of making gain for yourself or another or causing loss to another”.

Mr. Gray is also charged with five counts of attempted theft from different people, at locations in Dublin. The attempted theft charges related to a total of €1,249 while the amount of money alleged to have gone through the account was €8,136, the court heard.
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Conor Freeman case (November 2020)

This is a very interesting case.  Freeman was jailed in November 2020. In addition to pleading guilty to knowingly engaging in the possession of the proceeds of crime — namely 142.75682712 Bitcoin, he also pleaded guilty to stealing $100,000 in cryptocurrency from Darran Marble on May 15th 2018, stealing cryptocurrencies with an approximate value of $1,921,335, from Seth Sharpiro on May 16th, 2018, and stealing cryptocurrencies with an approximate value of $167,622.22 from Micheal Templeman on May 18th, 2018.  He also entered guilty pleas to three counts of dishonestly operating a computer to make a gain on dates between May 15th and May 18th, 2018. He has no previous convictions.

•  Freeman was identified by the United States Department of Homeland Security as being the person behind certain internet handles connected to the offences.

• Freeman was part of a group of people who had met online. This group identified people on social media who they believed might have access to some amount of cryptocurrency.
• ​The group was able to gain access to the email addresses and phone numbers of these people via social media, which was information needed to commit the crimes.
• Freeman’s co-conspirators knew people who worked in telecommunications who would transfer the phone numbers of potential victims onto SIM cards purchased by the group.
• The co-conspirators would then initiate protocols that are in place in the event of people forgetting their passwords in order to gain access to the online accounts of potential victims.
• After his co-conspirators gained access to the email exchanges of these people, Freeman would go through these exchanges and identify sources of cryptocurrencies they possessed.
• The proceeds of the thefts would be split evenly between all parties who were involved. The court heard that there are five co-accused of Freeman who are before the courts in the United States.
• Freeman's lawyer said his client was “very much a loner” as a teenager who reverted to an online world. He said his client started out “hacking” other persons accounts during online games and that he did so not for monetary gain, but rather for the “thrill”.

Adam Gray links:

• https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/man-accused-of-unlawful-use-of-computer-in-crypto-fraud/a235542840.html
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/peteroakes_financialcrime-cryptocurrency-activity-7080843579216027648-qXyS

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Conor Freeman link

• https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/circuit-court/man-jailed-for-role-in-2-million-cryptocurrency-theft-1.4411641

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Chilimbar Vasile of 13A Eagle Valley, Sarsfield Road, Wilton, Cork pleaded guilty to the count stating that on September 24, 2019, proceeds of criminal conduct namely the money was credited to an AIB account in another name, knowing or being reckless as to whether it was the proceeds of crime.
Garda Kelleher said the sum of money, in the AIB account in question, was €228,274.

The father-of-eleven who controlled an AIB bank account in another man’s name — when €228,000 passed through it over four years — had no explanation for this money except that he sold The Big Issue.

• https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41167507.html
  

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This report by the EBA which finds that money laundering and terrorist financing risks in payments institutions are not managed effectively refers to "New client typologies are also emerging, such as platforms and marketplaces, which, by creating additional layers, seem to increase the overall ML/TF risk level.".  The report is a good read for any bank or financial institution involved with payments and especially for Money Laundering Compliance Officers (in Ireland the equivalent being PCF-52 role holders).

Also interesting to read at page 16 of 28 that "The EBA found that not all supervisors are doing enough to manage ML/TF risks in the sector effectively.".

https://complireg.com/blogs--insights/eba-report-on-money-laundering-terrorist-financing-risks-associated-with-payment-institutions

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CCTV on accused's phone showed huge house in Romania where a large volume of notes and coins in multiple denominations were being counted on a kitchen table, court heard.

A 57-year-old man who used a wire hook to fish money out of church collection boxes was caught in a money-laundering investigation with live CCTV coverage from a huge house in Romania where a large volume of notes and coins in multiple denominations were being counted on a kitchen table.

The CCTV was on Chilimbar Vasile’s phone and it covered his own property in Romania where he also had three powerful cars, Detective Garda David Kelleher said at the sentencing hearing.
Describing the extensive scale of the Romanian property, it was established through Interpol enquiries there was no mortgage against the house, which is owned by the defendant.

In January 2021, Vasile was caught with an AIB bank card for an account in someone else’s name and in an examination of the account over the previous four years it was established that over €228,000 had passed through it.
He had no visible means of income and told investigating gardaí his money came from selling The Big Issue and begging.

The father of 11 children was in receipt of €455 a week in disability allowance and had also received a total of €164,000 in rent allowance over a number of years while living in Cork.

He was convicted previously of stealing from church collection boxes at locations that included Carrigtwohill, Cloyne and Dungarvan.
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He was faced sentencing on Thursday for money-laundering in Cork in respect of a sum of over a €250,000 in a bank account.

​www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-41163277.html

A woman accused of possessing crime proceeds in bank accounts in Dublin and Donegal while using bogus identities has been remanded in custody.

Diana Maria Popovici, 34, currently of no fixed address but originally from Romania, was arrested at Dublin Airport on Friday evening.

The accused, who had a prior address at Timbermills, Kilmore Road, Artane, Dublin 5, was charged with 10 offences under the Theft and Fraud Act and money laundering laws.

She has six counts of possessing or transferring crime proceeds of unspecified amounts in credit balances in AIB, Bank of Ireland, and PTSB accounts in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, and AIB accounts in Blanchardstown and Raheny, in Dublin.
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She was also accused of using fake Spanish and Romanian driving licences and Italian ID cards as false instruments at various banks.

The offences allegedly occurred on various dates from October 2016 until March 2019.

www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/woman-held-on-proceeds-of-crime-and-fake-id-charges-1487397.html

A radio DJ is to be sentenced later this year after she admitted money-laundering €10,000 through her bank account.
Nikki Hayes (44), real name Eimear Black O’Keeffe, pleaded guilty to possessing the money as the proceeds of crime in a Permanent TSB bank account at an unknown location within the State on November 5th, 2020.
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The bank account was in the name of Eimear Black, with an address at The Way, Hunter’s Run, Dublin 15.
The former RTÉ 2FM and Classic Hits DJ was remanded on continuing bail at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday after Judge Orla Crowe directed that a probation report be prepared.

www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2023/06/08/nikki-hayes-to-be-sentenced-in-october-for-10000-money-laundering/

An Irish CEO is under investigation by Interpol and Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) for allegedly facilitating money laundering for the Kinahan cartel, writes Garreth MacNamee.

The firm, which offers wealth management advice to its super-rich clients, is suspected to be behind the transferring and laundering of over €1m worth of assets on behalf of the drug-trafficking organised crime gang.

While Interpol and the NCA are the chief investigators on the matter, An Garda Síochána is also liaising with these agencies as part of the inquiry.

One of the main aspects of the investigation is about a shell company allegedly set up by this wealth management firm.
Informed sources have said that the investigation is focusing heavily on the boss of the firm, who is from Ireland.
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​https://businessplus.ie/news/kinahan-cartel-irish-ceo/