Member of the Irish defence forces jailed for money laundering 

By Sonya McLean 

A corporal in the Irish Defence Forces was involved in a money laundering operation that handled over €6.6 million worth of drug dealers’ cash, a court has heard. 

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 an address in Fernwood Lawn, Tallaght on May 6, 2022.

He has no previous convictions. 

Garda Vincent Jaffray told Alison Fynes BL prosecuting that a phone seized during the search of Kearney’s rented home at the time was analysed and found to contain communication 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 £250,000 Stg between April 2021 and May 2022. 

He said the search also uncovered €10,455 in cash, concealed in a bedframe and a further €15,000 wrapped in clingfilm in a freezer. 

Kearney admitted during interview that he was the only person who lived in the flat and confirmed that it was his phone. 

Gda Jaffray confirmed that analysis of Kearney’s bank statements showed that Kearney had no legitimate way of making the amount of money which was found in his home. 

Gda Jaffray agreed with Ciara Ní Ghabhann BL defending that Kearney caused no trouble during interview and answered all questions put to him. 

He accepted that he is a corporal with the Irish Defence Forces and will now lose that job. 

Ms Ní Ghabhann told Judge Martin Nolan that her client is a father of two children 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 and was involved in the equestrian school with the army.

He travelled to the Olympics with an equestrian team where he acted as a groom. 

Ms Ní Ghabhann said Kearney looked for a transfer in location in the army, which led to a drop in his wages and he struggled financially as a result. 

She said around Christmas 2020 he was approached and offered what he thought was a “friendly loan” but he found himself “in over his head”. 

Counsel said threats started to come in and Kearney had to get involved in the offence as a result. 

Judge Nolan said gardaí had certain beliefs which led them to embark on the search of Kearney’s home adding “their beliefs were justified”. 

He acknowledged that Kearney pleaded guilty to possession of the physical cash that was found during the search but said the full facts, as disclosed during the sentence hearing, detailed phone evidence which demonstrated that Kearney was involved in “very substantial money laundering”. 

Judge Nolan accepted that Kearney has no record of conviction, has family responsibilities, is unlikely to come before the courts again and has “many, many good points”. 

He noted the maximum penalty available to the court was 14 years and said given the seriousness of the offence a headline sentence of six years was appropriate. 

 Judge Nolan reduced the sentence to three years, having taken into account the various mitigating features of the case.