Court of Dundalk: bank account used for money laundering scam

A 22-year-old man who repaid more than €18,000 to a Polish company after his bank account was used in a money laundering scam, was warned last week that he must do this what the probation service had told him, when his case was adjourned to Dundalk District Court.

Jack Hughes with an address in Millgrange, Greenore was in court charged with engaging in possession of the proceeds of criminal conduct while being reckless as to whether or not the property was the proceeds of crime, at AIB, Clanbrassil Street, Dundalk between 5th and 10th December 2019.

The court was told last October that the defendant had reimbursed almost €17,500 to cover the more than €15,000 lost by the company and the costs of its lawyers in Poland and Dundalk. The defense lawyer added that the firm later withdrew its complaint but the DPP requested that its client be interviewed.

After hearing that the 22-year-old is a fourth-year student at UCD, studying commerce, Judge Eirinn McKiernan said he was a very intelligent young man and, referring to the loss suffered by the company in the process of reimbursement, said it was a very serious matter and was “like someone robs a bank and returns the money”.

The case was adjourned to December for the preparation of a probation report when Judge John Brennan adjourned the case for three months to allow the student to complete the drug awareness program.

Last Wednesday, after learning that the 22-year-old had failed to attend the final day of class, Judge McKiernan warned him “You must do exactly as you are asked” and said that if if he didn’t, he could forget about the probation service and they would deal with the matter “by another means”.

The case was then adjourned for an updated and finalized report on May 11.