By Paul Murphy
The complex tale of how €7,000 was fraudulently taken from a man’s bank account and ended up in the account of a Drogheda woman who became the victim of the fraud was heard at Trim District Court where a 30-year-old labourer appeared on money laundering charges.
The court was told by Detective Garda Sean Sweeney and Detective Garda Jacqui O’Hanlon that €1,950 of the stolen €7,000 ended up in the account of Mihai Miron, Cruise Walk Park, Tyrellstown, Dublin who was charged with money laundering at Windmill Road, Beauparc, Navan on 9 th November 2021. The court was told that after the €7,000 was fraudulently removed from a man’s bank account it went into an intermediary account belonging to a Drogheda woman who knew nothing about it but who also became a victim of the fraud when her bank account was frozen and investigated.
Defending barrister Paul Noctor said that his client was not aware that the money was in his account and had nothing to do with the transfer of money to it. He said that Mihai Miron did not withdraw money from the intermediary account and was not complicit in the taking of any money from the other account. His client had money in court to repay the loss. He was living in Ireland since 2002 and had a clear account. The only explanation he could offer was that it was the result of a breach of security at a bank branch.
He said he had offered over and over to pay back the money he had spent. Judge Eirinn McKiernan was told that the victims of the fraud had been reimbursed but that the bank was at a loss of €7,000. She directed that the defendant hand over €1,950 compensation and imposed a four-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months. She also directed that €500 be paid to the Drogheda victim and the remainder to be paid to the man who had €7,000 taken from his account.
