A woman has admitted in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court obtaining some £211,000 from several businessmen by pretending to be a supplier of Guinness goods.
Margaret Whelan (43), Llewellyn Court, Ballinteer, and formerly of Pine Valley Park, Rathfarnham, pleaded guilty to five counts of falsely obtaining cheques and cash worth a total of £211,000 from four businessmen on dates between September and December 1999.
Whelan had originally pleaded not guilty but changed her plea after a jury was sworn in for her trial before Judge Joseph Matthews, who remanded her on continuing bail for sentencing on December 17th.
Det Garda Liam Fahy told Ms Tara Burns, prosecuting, that Mr Micheal O'Callaghan had a financial services business and had placed advertisements in newspapers.
He was contacted by Whelan and went to her home to discuss a mortgage.
She told him she worked supplying sports clothing to schools and had an opportunity to obtain a contract with Guinness for clothing for a coming hurling final.
She said there was stock at Dublin Port which was meant to be supplied by a company which had gone bankrupt. She would be able to take the place of this company and transfer the goods from the port to the Guinness brewery if she was able to get some money together quickly.
Mr O'Callaghan thought it sounded like a good business deal so he agreed to get involved.
Det Garda Fahy said Whelan told Mr O'Callaghan she had money in Barclays Bank but was having difficulties with bank drafts. Mr O'Callaghan agreed to write out some cheques for her on the basis that she would later put £70,000 into his account.
He wrote out five cheques to specific people but did not want them cashed until he received the money. He contacted his bank and discovered two cheques for a total of £19,000 had been cashed.
Det Garda Fahy said Whelan got another £10,000 from a Mr Raymond Ward, which had been paid back, and £3,800 from Ms Ann Stewart, who was a friend.
Whelan was using the money to pay other people she was in debt to. There were no goods at Dublin Port.
He said the people for whom Mr O'Callaghan wrote cheques were real people but not suppliers. They were owed money by Whelan for a previous clothing deal.