An Irish Defence Forces corporal has been jailed over his involvement in a money-laundering operation that handled some €6.6 million of drug dealers’ cash.
Richard Kearney (36), of Shancastle Drive, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to having €25,000, knowing or being reckless as to whether it was the proceeds of crime, at Fernwood Lawn, Tallaght on May 6th, 2022.
Garda Vincent Jaffray told Alison Fynes BL, prosecuting, a phone seized during the search of Kearney’s rented home was found to contain communications with known drug dealers.
The garda said the conversations showed amounts of money, locations and dates, and suggested that Kearney was responsible for laundering €6.6 million and stg£250,000 between April 2021 and May 2022.
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Kearney admitted he was the only person living in the flat and confirmed the phone was his.
Garda Jaffray said the search also uncovered €10,455 in cash, concealed in a bedframe, and a further €15,000 wrapped in cling film in a freezer.
Analysis of Kearney’s bank statements showed the corporal had no legitimate way of making the amount of money found, the garda said.
He agreed with Ciara Ní Ghabhann BL, for Kearney, that the accused answered all the questions put to him during interviews.
Ms Ní Ghabhann told Judge Martin Nolan her client is a father of two and acts as a parent to his partner’s four children.
She said he had risen to rank of corporal in the Irish Defence Forces, but will now lose that job.
Ms Ní Ghabhann said Kearney had asked the Army for a transfer to another location, which led to a reduction in his wages and left him struggling financially.
She said he was approached before Christmas 2020 and offered what he thought was a “friendly loan” but soon found himself “in over his head”.
Counsel said threats started to come in and Kearney had to get involved in money laundering as a result.
Judge Nolan acknowledged that Kearney pleaded guilty to possession of the cash found during the search. However, he said the full facts, as disclosed during the sentence hearing, detailed phone evidence which demonstrated he was involved in “very substantial money laundering”.
He accepted that Kearney has no previous convictions, has family responsibilities, is unlikely to come before the courts again and has “many, many good points”.
He said the maximum penalty available to the court was 14 years and a sentence of six years was appropriate given the seriousness of the offence. He reduced the sentence to three years after taking into account mitigating features.
In a statement following the sentencing, the Defence Forces said it “unequivocally condemns any actions by serving personnel that are contrary to military regulations or that do not reflect our values”.
“In this case, as a result of today’s decision, the individual’s Commanding Officer has initiated the proceedings for discharge, and this process is ongoing,” it said.
“As there is a right to appeal it would be inappropriate to comment further as to do so may prejudice the appeal process.”
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