Man pleads guilty to letting fraudsters use his bank account to launder money
Jamie Lee, of Meadow View, Clonard, Co Meath, pleaded guilty to possessing the proceeds of criminal conduct in January 2024. He was today remanded on bail pending a sentencing hearing.
Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court heard that a woman reported that her son had given her bank details and code in reply to a text pretending to be from a telecom provider.
It led to her account being 'hacked', and €35,300 stolen in 17 transfers, Detective Garda Kevin Lennon told Judge Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin. Sums ranging from €200 to €3,700 entered Lee's account.
She discovered this when she attempted to withdraw money from the Bank of Ireland, but her request was declined, and her account was frozen. She then alerted gardaí in Mullingar.
Lee later told Detective Garda Lennon that an unnamed friend contacted him over Snapchat, offering him a chance to make money by using his account. He then met three males he did not know and gave them his bank details.
John Hayden SC, defending, said that his client, who works in a warehouse for a major retailer, had been cooperative. Detective Garda Lennon agreed, adding the accused had been naive at the time and after a 'quick buck'.
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He also accepted that Lee, who had no previous convictions, was 'in the throes of a gambling addiction', did not receive any payment and did not try to give gardaí the runaround.
Hayden outlined how his client started gambling after a relationship breakup. However, he was soon losing his wages in one night, and he also crashed his mother's car, and he was put on antidepressants.
He also expressed remorse in the court case.
The court was furnished with a letter from him and his mother, and a report from his addiction counsellor and his GP. Hayden said people behind scams prey on people like his client.
With the help of his family, he had brought €5,000 to court, and the judge noted that the bank had reimbursed the victim.
She stated that this was a serious offence and noted that he was asked to participate in the fraud and met three people he did not know, expecting to make a profit. She took into account how gambling had become a problem and said it has become easy to gamble.
Jusge Ní Chúlacháin held that the offence warranted a one-year sentence but noted the guilty plea, mitigation and that he had been a pro-social member of society.
She stated that she would consider sparing him a conviction if he came up with an additional €3,000 on his own; otherwise, he would receive a conviction and 140 hours of community service. The case resumes in November.
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