Three Romanian men have received two-year jail sentences for their involvement in withdrawing money from people's bank accounts using their bank card details obtained by devices attached to an ATM in Dungarvan, Co Waterford.
Illegal immigrants Oragam Nicolai Teodar (26), Nicoara Covaci (30), and Ion Poleac (24), received the sentences at Waterford Circuit Court yesterday after pleading guilty to 14 counts of theft between November 24th and 27th last year.
They stole cash from the accounts of Mr Donnacha O'Dea, Ms Margaret Joyce, Mr John McGrath, Ms Helen Kiely, Mr Trevor Walsh and Mr Kenneth Killigrew in Co Wexford between those dates.
Judge Michael O'Shea backdated the jail sentences to November 27th, when the three were first placed in custody.
He said he accepted the submissions by their counsel that the three were "small players" in the scheme.
However, he was satisfied they were fully aware that money was being taken illegally.
The court heard the three acted as lookouts at the AIB ATM in Dungarvan.
The "Mr Big" behind the operation escaped when gardaí closed in on the gang in Dungarvan and he is believed to have left Ireland.
Mr Tom Teehan BL, prosecuting, said that on November 27th last year Det Garda Maurice Walsh received complaints that money had been withdrawn from various AIB Dungarvan accounts in Wexford town.
The detective became aware that suspicious devices were seen at the bank's ATM in Dungarvan by card users and viewed video footage from the bank. While on duty that evening in an unmarked car in Dungarvan's Grattan Square, Det Garda Walsh saw a wine coloured foreign registered car with four male occupants.
He pulled in the vehicle, recognised one of the back seat passengers from the video footage and called for more assistance.
Mr Teehan said three of the men were arrested, but the driver somehow escaped.
A laptop computer and silver coloured bar containing batteries that appeared to be a miniature camera were found in the car.
The three arrested men initially gave Italian names, but subsequently gave their correct names and made various statements of admission to the gardaí.
Det Garda Walsh gave evidence that a flat the gardaí searched in Wexford on November 28th was used by the man who escaped and his girlfriend.
Computer gear, Tesco Club cards and more equipment similar to that used at the ATM in Dungarvan were recovered in the search.