A man who took part in a scheme to defraud the Trinity College Dublin (TCD) hardship fund of almost €550,000 told gardaí he was not “the brightest star”, a court has heard.
Nathan Roche (28) is one of a number of people who allowed their bank accounts to be used in the money laundering operation, which resulted in the university's hardship fund being defrauded by €549,135.
Roche, of Montpellier Drive, Arbour Hill, Dublin 7, told gardaí he was asked by someone to give his bank details for a tax back scheme, adding: “I’m not the brightest star. I was told it was an easy way to get tax back.”
He pleaded guilty to possessing €1,550 as the proceeds of crime on a date in June 2021.
At a sitting on Thursday, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the amount of money laundered by Roche was one of the lowest values of anyone who has come before the courts in relation to this investigation.
In total, 308 electronic payments were made from the student hardship fund to various bank accounts belonging to people who had never attended Trinity College, between January 2020 and September 2021.
The court heard that a TCD staff member had been involved in the theft of a very large portion of the money.
'Taxback scheme'
Detective Garda Chris Fitzgerald told Carol Doherty BL, prosecuting, that Roche was arrested after he was found to have facilitated the movement of €1,550 into his account.
Gda Fitzgerald said there was no suggestion that Roche had made an application himself to Trinity’s hardship fund.
The court heard that when gardaí asked Roche about his level of involvement in the operation, he initially said he had been approached by someone in a Mr Price shop who spoke about “some kind of taxback scheme”.
Roche told gardaí he gave this person his bank details because “it sounded like something easy to do to get tax back”.
When gardaí suggested this was not credible and asked Roche how he did not think there was something extremely odd or dodgy about this, he replied: “I didn’t know it was dodgy. If I thought it was dodgy, I wouldn’t have done it.”
Roche also told gardaí: “I’m not the brightest star, but I was told a few people were doing it, and it was an easy way to get tax back.”
Gda Fitzgerald said Roche changed his answers throughout his interview and later said he had given his bank details to a work colleague.
Roche also told gardaí at first that he had spent all the €1,550 that came into his account, but then said he had handed over a portion of the money.
Kevin Roche BL, defending the accused but no relation to him, told the court that his client was in no way connected to the individual who stole the money.
Mr Roche also pointed out that other persons who have come before the court in relation to laundering larger sums in this operation have all been given suspended sentences.
Judge Martin Nolan stopped the case before hearing mitigation and adjourned it to the end of the month, asking counsel for the defence to get more information and details.
The case will be finalised on July 31st.
Jessica Magee
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