Paul Neilan
A Dublin man has pleaded guilty on Monday at the non-jury Special Criminal Court to laundering €62,000 in crime cash.
James Walsh (37) and his former partner have been charged with a total of 44 money laundering offences, which include using crime cash for a deposit on a house.
Walsh of Wheatfield Avenue, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, is also charged with stashing €19,000 in a wardrobe at his home.
Today, Walsh pleaded guilty to knowing or believing, or being reckless as to whether property, to wit: cash to the value of €62,000 was the proceeds of criminal conduct, did possess, use, convert, transfer or handle the said property in discharging sums due, contrary to Section 7 of the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act.
The offence was committed at a location within the State on dates between June 1st, 2016-January 31st, 2017, inclusive, and relates to sums discharged and owing to a building contractor.
Walsh spoke only to reply "guilty" to the registrar when the single charge was put to him at the brief hearing.
At a previous hearing, all 44 charges against Walsh and his former partner were read out to the two accused by the court registrar, which took over an hour.
Co-accused
Walsh's co-accused Lisa O'Hara (32), also with an address listed as Wheatfield Avenue, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, is charged with 20 offences, while Walsh is charged with 24 offences.
Both accused are also charged with converting, transferring, handling, acquiring, possessing, and using money credited to a Bank of Ireland account on various dates between January 1st, 2015-December 31st, 2015, within the State, knowing or believing or being reckless as to whether the property, in the name of James Walsh and Lisa O'Hara, was the proceeds of criminal conduct.
The defendants are further charged with concealing or disguising the true nature or source of money credited to Palmerstown Credit Union account on various dates between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015, within the State, knowing or believing or being reckless as to whether the property, in each of their respective names, was the proceeds of criminal conduct.
In addition, both accused are charged with possessing, using, converting, transferring or handling cash to the value of €60,000, using it as a deposit for the purchase of a house at Wheatfield Avenue, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 on various dates between June 1, 2016 and January 31, 2017, within the State, knowing or believing or being reckless as to whether the said property was the proceeds of criminal conduct.
Finally, Walsh is charged with concealing the location of cash to the value of €19,000 within a wardrobe at Wheatfield Avenue, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 on January 24th, 2017, knowing or believing or being reckless as to whether the property was the proceeds of criminal conduct.
Free legal aid was granted to Walsh, without State objection, for a solicitor and two counsel and the case was adjourned to July 19th.
