A former Google employee was caught in a sting operation when trying to sell a stolen laptop back to his colleague.
The laptop was stolen from a work locker at Google’s headquarters in Dublin 4. Dariusz Rejniewicz (29) was caught in the sting operation the next day as he tried to sell it back to its owner.
Rejniewicz of Fairview Strand, Fairview, but originally from Poland, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to handling stolen property at McDonald’s on Grafton Street on January 13th, 2013.
Menaces
He had also entered a guilty plea to demanding money with menaces on the same occasion but the prosecution withdrew this charge after Judge Mary Ellen Ring pointed out that there was no evidence of threats during the exchange.
Rejniewicz, who now works for a cleaning company after being fired by Google, was remanded on continuing bail until sentencing on November 14th next.
Garda Barry Keegan told prosecuting counsel Marie Torrens the laptop’s owner noticed it missing at the end of the work day. He was told by a colleague, who is not before the court, that he could have it back in return for €700. He was then put in touch with Rejniewicz who said it would cost €500. The owner alerted gardaí before agreeing to meet Rejniewicz the next day.
Exchange
Garda Keegan arranged a plan to arrest Rejniewicz once he got a signal from the laptop owner that the exchange was going ahead. When they met in McDonald’s, the garda moved in and made the arrest.
Defence counsel Mark Thompson said his client co-operated with gardaí on his arrest. He said a colleague of Rejniewicz’s at Google stole the laptop and his client was a “patsy”.
Rejniewicz has 13 previous convictions, mostly for road traffic offences, but also drugs possession and cultivation of cannabis.
