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Sunday World
3 days ago
- Sunday World
Hutch mobster James ‘Mago' Gately tells court he and partner have broken up as he admits ripping out stairs
Gately said he split with partner who had left the house before it was damaged The pair – who have been in a long running battle with the Criminal Assets Bureau over their former home in Coolock – looked like they didn't have a care in the world as they left the High Court this week. Charlene had reason to smile following the court hearing as the judge ruled she will still receive €11,000 from the sale of the home by CAB despite officers finding extensive damage had been done to the property when they entered it. Gately, who admitted ripping out the stairs at his former home, said his relationship with Charlene had come to an end and that he was living alone at the house on Glin Drive when he stripped it in February this year. James 'Mago' Gately and Charlene Lam leave the High Court this week The bureau said it will cost €95,000 to repair the damage done to the property which included the staircase being taken out, along with internal doors, architraves, the entire kitchen and other fitting. The couple turned up together at the High Court this week after CAB brought an application over a breach of the court's orders. The court had ordered the property to be handed over to CAB by April 1 this year. It was previously heard that €440,000 had been spent on renovating the house, which had been bought for €125,000. The court had also ordered that €11,000 from the sale of the house be returned to Ms Lam, who had made mortgage payments from legitimate income. The pair were engrossed in their phones outside the court This week, Judge Alexander Owens said that interest on the unpaid mortgage is building up and the house should be sold as soon as possible. After that the sale was completed, he said it should be assessed to see what damage had been done to the value of the house, and that he would deal with it then. Judge Owens said he accepted Ms Lam had left the property before it was damaged and that she should still receive her share from the sale of the property. In affidavit evidence this week, Gately was 'putting his hands up' to the fact that he removed the material from the house, which he said he sold to members of the public for a total of €5,000. James 'Mago' Gately and Charlene Lam leave the High Court this week News in 90 Seconds - June 29th CAB said it wasn't credible that Gately thought he was entitled to do what he did to the house after it was declared the proceeds of crime. The Hutch mobster said he hadn't taken legal advice, but in hindsight should have and 'it would have been better if I had done so'. He said he had organised an electrician, brought out all the rubbish and left the keys for CAB officers to gain access to the property, and asked the judge to be as lenient as possible. CAB officers at the house in Coolock which was renovated to the tune of €440k It was put to the court that Gately should pay between €5,000 and €95,000. Counsel for CAB said it was very important that there is compliance with such court orders and there has to be 'a deterrent element' to this. Counsel for Gately said the court knows he is a person of limited means and that the loss of value should be calculated after the property has been sold. Judge Owens said that there was insufficient proof that there had been contempt of court but the actions had the effect of reducing the value of the house. In the CAB case against him, in which a car and a Rolex watch were also declared the proceeds of crime, Gately was described as a senior figure in the Hutch Organised Crime Group. He cut ties with the Kinahans following the 2015 murder of his friend Gary Hutch by the cartel in Spain, and helped carry his coffin at the funeral. The Kinahan mob launched two bids to kill Gately in 2017. Cartel lieutenant Sean McGovern, who was extradited from Dubai, is facing two charges over one plot to kill Gately. Gunmen pose as gardai at the Regency Hotel in 2016 . McGovern is charged with both directing a crime gang to carry out surveillance on Gately and facilitating a criminal organisation between October 17 2015 and April 6, 2017. Evidence from CAB has linked Gately to three murders, two of which were in 2010 when he was just 24 years old. He was arrested and questioned over the killing of convicted criminal Aidan Byrne in Dublin, a killing for which Jonathan 'Yuka' Douglas has been convicted and sentenced to life. Gately was also linked by CAB to the killing of infamous gangland figure Eamon 'The Don' Dunne at a pub in Cabra in April 2010. The third murder was that of David Byrne in the attack on the Regency Hotel, which was organised by the Hutch gang. During the CAB case Gately and Lam were allowed free legal aid despite CAB contesting the couple had gone on luxury cruises and enjoyed 'eye-watering' foreign travel. Judge Owens said in his 2022 ruling that while there was evidence of spending in the past, he said, 'things were beginning to dry up of late.'
Sunday World
6 days ago
- Sunday World
CAB seize €40K belonging to gangland murder victim shot dead 13 years ago
Darren Falsey died after being shot five times outside his home in Cork in August 2011 in a gangland style attack. Money belonging to a suspected drug dealer shot dead 13 years ago has been seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau. Darren Falsey died after being shot five times outside his home in Cork in August 2011 in a gangland style attack. The bureau's application to the High Court to transfer the €41,000 in an AIB bank account to the State was not opposed. Judge Alexander Owens said it was a clear case in his view and he agreed to make the order. Darren Falsey News in 90 Seconds - June 26th The Sunday World previously reported how gardaí investigating the killing found almost €40,000 in cash in a freezer in a lock-up close to Riverstick, where Falsey kept a number of dogs. It was reported that Falsey had links to a major drugs gang and there was suspicions that he was killed because he owed money to a senior figure in the gang. One local source at the time described Falsey as someone who was 'well known' as a drug dealer but 'never got his hands dirty'. 'He would have had links to a few different gangs but thought of himself as something of an independent operator.' Falsey's killers are believed to have had him under surveillance for some time before he was killed. He had visited a relative in Cork prison on the day of his murder and was dropped home to Carrigaline shortly before he was targeted. Neighbours did not report hearing any shots on the afternoon of the killing and it is thought the killer used a silencer His body was discovered when his partner returned him to find him lying on the floor and the porch door open. At an inquest hearing last year it was heard he died instantly when he was shot five times at close range after he opened the door of his family home. The jury at the South Cork Coroner's Court returned a verdict of unlawful killing after they heard that no one has ever been prosecuted for the killing. There has been a major garda investigation including several arrests, and the recovery months later of the handgun used in the attack.
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Irish Times
Assets linked to alleged Kinahan associate are proceeds of crime, High Court rules
The High Court has deemed assets belonging to an alleged Kinahan organised crime group associate to be the proceeds of crime. The Criminal Assets Bureau claims Ciaran O'Sullivan (50), who previously resided on Adelaide Road in Glenageary, Co Dublin, is known to multiple law enforcement agencies as a transnational drug trafficker for more than 20 years and has lived a lavish lifestyle despite having no legitimate source of income. The bureau cites Mr O'Sullivan's daughters' attendance at an exclusive Swiss finishing school, Surval Montreux, as an indicator of this lifestyle. On Wednesday, Jim Benson, for the bureau, sought orders related to assets linked to Mr O'Sullivan, which were seized during searches of properties connected to him in June 2020. READ MORE Among the assets seized were devices recovered during searches at his Glenageary address including iPhone 7s, Google Pixel phones and Samsung tablets. It is the bureau's case that Mr O'Sullivan was involved in the supply of EncroChat devices and that these devices were held by Mr O'Sullivan to this end. EncroChat is a now-defunct encrypted messaging service favoured by those involved in organised crime. Other items seized included luxury watches, a Louis Vuitton briefcase, €3,060 in cash and a gold bullion coin. Mr Justice Alexander Owens said he was satisfied these assets were the proceeds of crime, granting the orders sought by the bureau under the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996. The judge refused to make an order sought in relation to €16,350 held in a bank account held under Mr O'Sullivan's aunt's name. The court heard evidence that this account was used to pay for Mr O'Sullivan's daughters' Swiss school fees. Mr Justice Owens said the net effect of granting orders sought relating to the bank account would be to take money from the pension of an elderly woman and this would be 'unfair'. In making his orders, Mr Justice Owens noted evidence submitted on Mr O'Sullivan's connections to a Chinese money-laundering gang, who have provided services to the Kinahan organised crime group. In the 2000s, Mr O'Sullivan was targeted and arrested in joint Irish and Dutch police operations focusing on the activities of the Kinahan organised crime group, the bureau allege. Mr O'Sullivan has not lived in Ireland for some time, the court heard. He has no criminal convictions in Ireland, but was convicted of two separate drug-related offences in Spain and the Netherlands.
BreakingNews.ie
6 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Assets linked to alleged Kinahan associate deemed proceeds of crime by High Court
Assets belonging to an alleged Kinahan organised crime group associate who once resided in an affluent south Dublin suburb have been deemed by the High Court to be the proceeds of crime. The Criminal Assets Bureau claim Ciaran O'Sullivan (50), who previously resided on Adelaide Road in Glenageary, is known to multiple law enforcement agencies as a transnational drug trafficker for over 20 years, and has lived a lavish lifestyle despite having no legitimate source of income. Advertisement The bureau cites Mr O'Sullivan's daughters' attendance at an exclusive Swiss finishing school, Surval Montreux, as an indicator of this lifestyle. On Wednesday, barrister Jim Benson, for the bureau, sought orders related to assets linked to Mr O'Sullivan, which were seized during searches of properties connected to him in June 2020. Among the assets seized were various devices recovered during his Glenageary address, including iPhones, Google Pixel phones and Samsung tablets. It is the bureau's case that Mr O'Sullivan was involved in the supply of EncroChat devices, and that these devices were held by Mr O'Sullivan to this end. Advertisement EncroChat is a now-defunct encrypted messaging service favoured by those involved in organised crime. Other items seized included luxury watches, a Louis Vuitton briefcase, €3,060 cash and a gold bullion cold. Mr Justice Alexander Owens said he was satisfied these assets were the proceeds of crime, granting the orders sought by the bureau under section 3 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996. The judge refused to make the order sought in relation to €16,350 held in a bank account held under Mr O'Sullivan's aunt's name. Advertisement The court heard evidence that this account was used to pay for Mr O'Sullivan's daughter's Swiss school fees. Ireland Members of Kinahan crime gang should be 'very worr... Read More Mr Justice Owens said the net effect of granting orders sought relating to the bank account would be to take money from the pension of an elderly woman, and that this would be 'unfair'. In making his orders, Mr Justice Owens noted evidence submitted on Mr O'Sullivan's connections to a Chinese money laundering gang, who have provided services to the Kinahan organised crime group. In the 2000s, Mr O'Sullivan was targeted and arrested in joint Irish and Dutch police operations focusing on the activities of the Kinahan organised crime group, the bureau allege. Mr O'Sullivan has not lived in Ireland for some time, the court heard. He has no criminal convictions in Ireland, but was convicted of two separate drug related offences in Spain and the Netherlands.
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Assets linked to alleged Kinahan associate deemed proceeds of crime by High Court
Assets belonging to an alleged Kinahan organised crime group associate who once resided in an affluent South Dublin suburb have been deemed by the High Court to be the proceeds of crime. The Criminal Assets Bureau claim Ciaran O'Sullivan, aged 50, who previously resided on Adelaide Road in Glenageary, is known to multiple law enforcement agencies as a transnational drug trafficker for over 20 years, and has lived a lavish lifestyle despite having no legitimate source of income. The bureau cites Mr O'Sullivan's daughters' attendance at an exclusive Swiss finishing school, Surval Montreux, as an indicator of this lifestyle. Assets On Wednesday, barrister Jim Benson, for the bureau, sought orders related to assets linked to Mr O'Sullivan, which were seized during searches of properties connected to him in June 2020. Among the assets seized were various devices recovered at his Glenageary address, including iPhones, Google Pixel phones and Samsung tablets. It is the bureau's case that Mr O'Sullivan was involved in the supply of EncroChat devices, and that these devices were held by Mr O'Sullivan to this end. EncroChat is a now-defunct encrypted messaging service favoured by those involved in organised crime. Other items seized included luxury watches, a Louis Vuitton briefcase, €3,060 cash and a gold bullion coin. Mr Justice Alexander Owens said he was satisfied these assets were the proceeds of crime, granting the orders sought by the bureau under section 3 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996. The judge refused to make the order sought in relation to €16,350 held in a bank account held under Mr O'Sullivan's aunt's name. The court heard evidence that this account was used to pay for Mr O'Sullivan's daughter's Swiss school fees. Mr Justice Owens said the net effect of granting orders sought relating to the bank account would be to take money from the pension of an elderly woman, and that this would be 'unfair'. Crime group connections In making his orders, Mr Justice Owens noted evidence submitted on Mr O'Sullivan's connections to a Chinese money laundering gang, who have provided services to the Kinahan organised crime group. In the 2000s, Mr O'Sullivan was targeted and arrested in joint Irish and Dutch police operations focusing on the activities of the Kinahan organised crime group, the bureau allege. Mr O'Sullivan has not lived in Ireland for some time, the court heard. He has no criminal convictions in Ireland, but was convicted of two separate drug-related offences in Spain and the Netherlands.
