A man who rented out properties across rural Ireland under false pretences to use them as brothels was found with child abuse material on his phone when arrested at Dublin Airport.
Ilamar Rodrigues Ribeiro (54) was arrested by investigating gardaí when he returned to Ireland after a period of time in his native Brazil, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.
Ribeiro, of Rua Nely Augusta Gomes, Goais, Brazil, was under investigation after being linked to a number of rental properties being used as brothels around the country, along with nearly €800,000 in proceeds of crime across multiple Irish bank accounts.
He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 19 sample counts including using false instruments, inducing landlords to rent properties to him and possession of crime proceeds.
He also pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material, known in law as child pornography, on his phone when he was arrested at Dublin Airport on November 16th, 2023.
The offending on the 60-count indictment spanned 2010-2023, the court heard. Ribeiro has been in custody since his arrest.
Det Gda Vanessa Stafford, of the Garda Human Trafficking and Co-ordination Unit, told the court the charges against Ribeiro were part of a wider investigation after two women came forward with allegations of trafficking.
The two women identified some rental properties around rural Ireland that were being used as brothels while others were linked to Ribeiro’s email address and phone number, the court heard.
When investigating gardaí knocked on the doors of some of these properties, the women who answered identified themselves as sex workers, the court heard.
Gardaí linked 10 rental properties to Ribeiro, who used a different name from a fake Italian passport and fake utility bills to rent out the property from unsuspecting landlords and, in one case, a property agent.
The court heard the landlords told gardaí they would never have rented the property to Ribeiro if they had known what it would be used for.
The properties were located in Longford town, Ballymahon in Co Longford, Kildare town, Ballyconnell in Co Cavan, Enniscorthy in Co Wexford, Ballaghadereen in Co Roscommon, Carrick-on-Shannon in Co Leitrim, and Tullow, Co Carlow. Two were located in Roscommon town.
The properties were rented out for varying periods in 2018-2023.
Bank accounts in Ribeiro’s name or under his control were forensically analysed and found to contain €788,982 that was deemed to be the proceeds of crime.
The court heard Ribeiro was out of the country for some years in 2021-2023 but was arrested upon flying back in November 2023.
The child abuse material on his phone comprised nine images and 16 videos, mostly of prepubescent girls and boys being made to engage in sexual activity with adults.
Padraig Dwyer SC, defending, told the court his client first arrived in the country in 2009.
The case was adjourned to March 21st, when a plea of mitigation is expected to be heard.
