A consultant surgeon has been jailed for four years for defrauding insurance companies of more than €730,000 through a false breast cancer claim.
Dr Emad Massoud (52) and his wife Gehan Massoud (45), a nurse, of Woodview, Brownstown, Ratoath, Co Meath, were convicted last month by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
The couple had pleaded not guilty to intent to defraud the insurance companies by falsely pretending that Gehan Massoud had suffered breast cancer and that there was an obligation on them to settle serious illness claims. Massoud used a tissue sample from his mother-in-law to pretend his wife had cancer.
The Massouds were found guilty of defrauding Scottish Provident Ltd of €685,658 on March 25th, 2002 through having that amount made payable to Permanent TSB and €45,338 on February 22nd, 2002 from Lifetime Assurance Company Ltd by having that sum transferred to their account at the Bank of Ireland in Letterkenny, Co Donegal.
Judge Patrick McCartan described the offence as "particularly evil and nasty". It was at the higher end of the scale and was done "simply to satisfy the greed of two people well capable of supporting their family".
He jailed Emad Massoud for four years and imposed a three year sentence on Gehan Massoud, which he suspended because he said he didn't want both parents of their family to be incarcerated at the same time.
The couple have four children and have dual Irish and Egyptian citizenship.
Massoud had been working as a consultant surgeon with both the Wellman Clinic and the Nobel Clinic which operate out of the same building in Eccles Street in Dublin.