A man who claimed he found nearly half a million euro of "high-quality" counterfeit money in a laneway has been sentenced to three years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
John Gleeson (42), of Phibsboro Road, Dublin, pleaded guilty to possession of counterfeit currency with a face value of €490,500 at his home on December 18th, 2006.
Judge Katherine Delahunt said that the offence was at the more "serious end of the scale" because of the amount of money involved.
She accepted Gleeson had started abusing alcohol again after the "tragic death" of his wife but accepted he has since "actively" sought assistance for his addiction.
Judge Delahunt suspended the last 12 months of the sentence, taking into account Gleeson's co-operation with the Garda investigation.
Det Garda John Fitzgerald told Dominic McGinn, prosecuting, they searched Gleeson's home on foot of confidential information and found 981 counterfeit €500 notes in various locations around the house - including in a dresser drawer and under the mattress.
Det Garda Fitzgerald said the notes were of a "high quality" and the makers had attempted to copy security features such as the hologram and security thread.
Gleeson, who has two previous convictions, told gardaí that he had found the money in a nearby laneway about six weeks earlier.
Det Garda Fitzgerald agreed with Anne Marie Lawlor, defending Gleeson, that there was no evidence to refute this explanation but he said he did not find the account credible.