Gambler (21) after ‘quick buck' let criminals use back account to launder €35k
A young gambler, who was after a 'quick buck' and let 'smishing' fraudsters use his bank account to launder €35,000 in stolen funds, has been remanded on bail pending sentence.
Jamie Lee, 21, of Meadow View, Clonard, Co Meath, pleaded guilty at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court to possessing proceeds of criminal conduct in January 2024.
Detective Garda Kevin Lennon told Judge Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin yesterday that a woman reported 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 was stolen in 17 transfers, with the sums ranging from €200 to €3,700, to 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.
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.
Mr 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. Mr Hayden said people behind smishing 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.
However, she took into account how gambling had become such a problem and remarked that it had become easy to gamble, but the consequences were serious.
She 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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
2 days ago
- Sunday World
Gambler (21) after ‘quick buck' let criminals use back account to launder €35k
Jamie Lee told gardai that an unnamed friend contacted him over Snapchat, offering him a chance to make money A young gambler, who was after a 'quick buck' and let 'smishing' fraudsters use his bank account to launder €35,000 in stolen funds, has been remanded on bail pending sentence. Jamie Lee, 21, of Meadow View, Clonard, Co Meath, pleaded guilty at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court to possessing proceeds of criminal conduct in January 2024. Detective Garda Kevin Lennon told Judge Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin yesterday that a woman reported 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 was stolen in 17 transfers, with the sums ranging from €200 to €3,700, to 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. 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. Mr 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. Mr Hayden said people behind smishing 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. However, she took into account how gambling had become such a problem and remarked that it had become easy to gamble, but the consequences were serious. She 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.
The Journal
3 days ago
- The Journal
Man pleads guilty to letting fraudsters use his bank account to launder money
A 21-YEAR-OLD man, who was looking for a 'quick buck', let fraudsters use his bank account to launder €35,000. 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'. Advertisement 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.
The Journal
4 days ago
- The Journal
'Trusted' uncle who livestreamed sexual assault of sleeping 12-year-old nephew pleads guilty
A 'TRUSTED' UNCLE was babysitting when he livestreamed a web chat to a random man online as he sexually assaulted his sleeping 12-year-old nephew, a court has heard. The child's mother, who was away, received a 1.45 am phone message from her distraught son saying: 'Mam, I need to tell you something'. The Midlands man in his forties also secretly filmed a friend's daughter using the toilet, and pleaded guilty to sexual assault, possession and production of child pornography on dates in 2021 and will be sentenced in November. Child sexual abuse material is referred to as 'child pornography' in law. The man is not being identified to protect the victims' right to anonymity. At Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Keenan Johnson berated the accused for his exploitation of vulnerable children through these horrific crimes. Revoking his bail and ordering psychiatric and probation reports, Judge Johnson emphasised that this type of offence carried a significant penalty because of the unprecedented damage and hurt caused to the victims and the wider family involved. Detective Garda David Mead from the Divisional Protective Services Unit outlined how the boy detailed what happened in a specialist interview. He fell asleep on a couch but woke to find the accused rubbing his penis with the palm of his hand under his clothes. He revealed that he awoke because of the glow of his uncle 'shining his phone in his face' and saw 'a random guy'. It was an adult, in the web chat on the screen, 'touching himself as well'. The terrified boy ran to his room and hurriedly sent a Snapchat message to his mother. He told gardaí, 'I felt like puking, really scared'. The court heard his mother returned and asked what had happened, and he told her everything was okay. However, her concerns resurfaced when she later learned that her brother had befriended another young boy and allowed him to take showers in his workplace. The victim's parents broached the subject again, and this time their son disclosed the abuse. In a raw victim statement, the boy's mother, holding back tears, turned to face her brother, saying her son had 'trusted and loved you so much, and you took advantage of him. Advertisement She spoke out, saying the boy has been devastated and left confused. 'I have lost my brother, and best friend that I truly loved. I am so angry,' adding, 'you have ripped our family apart' Concluding her impact statement, she highlighted how he denied it and dragged out the case for three years, and told him, 'You caused the heartbreak that comes with that; today is the day I get justice'. Gardaí searched a property he used and found his phone also had two covert video recordings of a girl aged 10-12 using the toilet and showing her vagina. His voice could be heard in the background of the videos, which lasted about 46 seconds. The girl's mother was shocked when gardaí contacted her. She had known him through work and found him immature, and noticed he had been texting and inviting her son to come over. The mother of the girl he covertly recorded told him he stole her daughter's innocence, and she no longer feels safe, suffers distress and anxiety. The man sat with his head bowed and was in tears, but he did not address the court. During his garda interview, he attempted to convince investigators that the phone's rear camera had activated when the flashlight was turned on, which was later found to be impossible. He told gardaí that he was homosexual and not interested in girls. He also had software to wipe his computer and had attempted to delete the Tor browser and another app for anonymous internet use. However, gardaí recovered a two-minute video of one of his web chats where he spoke to a child, initially thinking it was a girl, but said 'even better' on hearing it was a boy. He encouraged that child to expose himself and masturbate. He did not show his face in the video chat, but the background matched his room. The court heard that he was using an online platform for random web chats with individuals. The charges can carry maximum sentences of five, ten, and 14 years. He had prior convictions for public order, criminal damage, driving offences, and failing to appear in court. The defence said the accused had a difficult childhood and had been referred to a psychiatrist, but was still on a waiting list.
