Woman given suspended sentence for scamming Dublin City Council

By Sonya McLean

A woman who “spotted an opportunity” to avail of a fee from Dublin City Council in relation to finding properties for social housing tenancies has been given a suspended sentence for deception.

Jane Dowling (54) of Newlands House, Baldonnell Road, Baldonnell, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to inducing Dublin City Council by deception to pay fees in relation to a number of properties in Dublin on December 7, 2018.

Dowling received €12,000 as a finder’s fee for sourcing rental properties on behalf of the council for tenants under the Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) scheme.

At the time Dowling was working for a rental property company but was also running her own company, City Properties, which had no connection to her employer.

She used the properties that her employer had responsibility for but claimed the finders fee for these properties under her own company City Properties. Dowling has since repaid the full amount.

Judge Martin Nolan said Dowling had “spotted an opportunity and decided to take it”. He acknowledged that she is the sole provider for her teenage daughter and accepted that she is “unlikely to come before the courts again”.

“She has repaid the money, it would be unjust to imprison her,” Judge Nolan said before he sentenced Dowling to one year which he suspended in full.

Detective Garda Sarah Barry told Aoife McNickle BL, prosecuting, that Dowling had been working for the property management company for a year between 2017 and 2018 before she became a casual worker for them. At the same time she was running her own business, City Properties.

Dowling became aware of the finder fees for sourcing properties for HAP tenancies and brought it to the attention of her employer.

The company said it had no interest in availing of the scheme but Dowling went on to source rental properties held under the company and invoicing the council for the finder fee on behalf of City Properties.

Her employer was later tipped off about the deception and contacted the gardaí.

Det Gda Barry said Dowling was arrested in September 2020 and prepared a statement accepting that she had claimed the fees on behalf of her own company while using the properties on her employer’s books.

Justin McQuade BL, defending, said his client acknowledges she had no right to claim the fees for the properties.

He said she is a single mother and was the sole provider for her daughter. She also acts as a carer for her parents. He asked the court to take into account the fact that she had no previous convictions and had pleaded guilty to the offence.