By Eimear Dodd
A man who played a “vital” role in a money laundering scheme and separately obtained €15,000 in a social welfare fraud has been jailed for four years.
Danny Cirstea (27) pleaded guilty to offences including possession of the proceeds of criminal conduct, possession of drugs, and deception.
He has six previous convictions including for road traffic and drugs offences.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard yesterday that gardai investigating an invoice redirect fraud identified that Cirstea’s address was used by a co-accused to open a bank account.
Tessa White BL, prosecuting, told the court that gardai believe Cirstea recruited this person as part of the scheme.
Gardai analysed Cirstea’s accounts, and identified payments of over €5,500 to his account in November 2019.
A small amount of cannabis, valued at €140, was found during a search of his home in December 2020.
In another AIB account belonging to Cirstea, approximately €43,000 was lodged on dates between August 2019 and June 2019.
Around €58,000 was moved through a further bank account – in the name of a third party – between July 2019 and April 2020.
This account was also set up using Cirstea’s address and gardai believe he had a level of control over this account and the one in the name of a co-accused.
Cirstea was arrested in December 2020 and made some admissions when interviewed.
He identified his phone number had been saved into the phone of a co-accused and told gardai that he allowed his bank account to be used as he was in fear of a criminal organisation.
Detective Garda Liam Carney gave evidence that Cirstea was the passenger in a car which was stopped in August 2022, in which a quantity of cannabis was found.
The court was told the driver took responsibility for this seizure and Cirstea’s home was searched as part of the investigation where four bags of tetrahydrocannabinol in the form of edible chocolate, valued at €80, were found.
Drugs paraphenlia and other items valued at around €7,000 – including high end clothing – were also seized.
Det Gda Carney said enquires were made with the Department of Social Welfare and it emerged Cirstea received approximately €15,000 in jobseeker’s benefit between 2021 and 2023.
He said Cirstea was entitled to work occasionally while receiving jobseeker’s benefit, but this allowance was means tested.
Det Gda Carney said Cirstea’s declaration stated he wasn’t married and was not earning extra money, which was found not to be accurate when his bank accounts were reviewed.
When his bank accounts were analysed as part of this investigation, €12,000 had moved through them.
Cirstea was arrested, with nothing of evidential value obtained at interview.
The court heard he was working legitimately as a delivery driver.
The investigating garda agreed that Cirstea’s guilty pleas were valuable and there was no evidence that he is involved with the people who sent money to his accounts.
The investigating garda agreed with defence counsel that Cirstea’s co-accused have already been dealt with by the courts in relation to money laundering offences.
It was further accepted that Cirstea took responsibility and accepted it was his account, but told gardai some transactions were made by third parties.
Det Gda Carney agreed that Cirstea took responsibility for the tetrahydrocannabinol found in his home.
James Dwyer SC, defending, outlined his client’s background to the court.
He said Cirstea “self-medicates” to deal with anxiety.
He asked the court to take into account his client’s relative youth when the offending started, expressions of remorse and other mitigating factors.
He noted the prosecution’s case against Cirstea is that he recruited others, adding that his client also took instructions from others and allowed his account to be used.
A letter of apology, governor’s report, references and other documents were handed to the court.
Cirstea is married, has a young child and an offer of work in Romania.
He has been in custody since May 2024 and has enhanced prison status, the court was told.
Judge Martin Nolan described Cirstea’s offending as “white collar misbehaviour”.
In relation to the money laundering offences, he said the court inferred Cirstea played a “vital part” in the “middle of the scheme”, since he recruited others and was directed by third parties, who “escaped with the money”.
He noted the loss to the State in the social welfare fraud was about €15,000, describing it as “not a small amount”.
Judge Nolan imposed a global sentence of four years, backdated to when Cirstea went into custody in May 2024 and granted confiscation orders for the high end goods.