A PROMINENT figure in the security industry has appeared in court for failing to pay taxes on his business for more than six years.
Gary Wynne provided door staff to many well-known Dublin premises, including Vicar Street and Eamonn Dorans in Temple Bar.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was told that Wynne avoided paying tax on over €4 million in income by claiming to transfer his VAT-inclusive invoices to a fictitious company, rendering his company, Loganroy Consultants Ltd, VAT neutral.
The court heard he defrauded the Revenue of €759,000 and he owed another €911,207 in interest.
Wynne faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced next month.
Details were heard of Wynne’s extensive lobbying of the government for the establishment of the Private Security Authority because he wanted to “professionalise” the industry.
Wynne (38), Kellystown Lane, Leixlip, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty yesterday to 10 counts of submitting incorrect invoices and VAT returns to the Revenue between the years 1997 and 2003.
Loganroy Security Ltd, Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin, also pleaded guilty to the same offences. It has ceased trading and it was not represented in court.
Revenue officer John Flynn told Dominic McGinn SC, prosecuting, that Wynne set up Loganroy in 1997 with his mother Anne Wynne, who was the other director. No charges were brought against Ms Wynne.
Gerard Dunne (47), Steeplechase Wood, Skryne Road, Ratoath, Co Meath, was the chief operations manager. He faces sentencing on similar charges next month.
The company supplied door staff to various premises around Dublin. The fraud involved Wynne pretending to subcontract the security work to a fake business, Alert Security Ltd.
When customers submitted VAT-inclusive payment to Loganroy, Wynne claimed to transfer the invoices to Alert Security, meaning they were liable for the VAT.
In total, 324 invoices were transferred to the fake company, amounting to over €4 million in income.
Wynne owes €1,670,207 to the Revenue, including back taxes and interest. He had €30,000 in court which he raised through loans.
His defence indicated that he was willing to continue making repayments when he could afford them.
Laura Wynne, told Raymond Comyn SC, defending, that she helped her brother set up training programmes for his staff to help “professionalise” the industry.
She said they were actively involved in lobbying for the establishment of the PSA and issued newspaper releases and held press launches in support of this.
She said he was a “significant player” and the only figure in the industry campaigning on the issue. She added that the company’s training programmes had now become the industry standard.
When asked by Mr McGinn if the training programmes had included anything about Revenue obligations, she replied that they did not.
Mary May, who has a terminally ill child, gave evidence of Wynne’s character and told the court that he had raised €160,000 through fundraisers for home nursing care for sick children.
Mr Comyn told Judge Patricia Ryan that his client would be “forever tainted” in the business world because of the charges and would be dependent on the charity of friends for future employment. He said this was a “significant punishment” for a prominent figure such as Wynne.
Mr Comyn said that the only purpose of a heavy sentence would be to send a message of deterrence. He submitted that this was not necessary as it is “generally well known in Irish society that these types of offences won’t be tolerated”. Judge Ryan adjourned sentencing until next month and remanded Wynne on continuing bail.