Two men used dummy invoices to defraud Eircom Business Systems of more than €80,000 over an 18-month period, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.
Damien Vaughan (30), of Albert College Park, Glasnevin, an employee of the company, and Eugene Fitzsimons (46), of Portersgate Crescent, Clonsilla, pleaded guilty to charges involving a total of €80,537.08 which was fraudulently taken from April 1999 to December 2000.
Judge Desmond Hogan imposed a three-year suspended sentence on Fitzsimons, who has paid €20,000 in compensation. It was money he raised by remortgaging his house, his counsel, Mr Martin Dully BL, told the court.
Judge Hogan adjourned the sentence on Vaughan to April 11th, 2005. He said Vaughan's case was different from Fitzsimons's as he had been an employee of the company at the time.
Mr Padraig Dwyer BL, for Vaughan, said his client had already paid €10,000 in compensation and was currently in a position to pay another €30,000.
Prosecuting counsel, Mr Dominic McGinn BL, said Vaughan had made the suggestion to his close friend, Fitzsimons, who owned a business called Screen Team which printed logos on T-shirts and caps, that they should prepare "dummy invoices" to send to Eircom Business Systems.
As a result of an audit directed by a new manager at Eircom Business Systems the office equipment and other items purported to have been purchased could not be accounted for.
Mr McGinn said the manager met Vaughan on January 15th, 2001, and he admitted he bought the goods in the name of Eircom but sold them on. He named other people involved with him in the scam, and a Garda investigation was instigated.
A third man has absconded from the jurisdiction and is living in Australia but is expected to be back in the State early next year to face prosecution.