Man stole thousands from gardening club
TWELVE MONTH SENTENCE IMPOSED FOR CHEQUE FRAUD OF OVER €11,000
A man who wrote cheques to himself totalling more than €11,000 from Drogheda Gardeing Club’s account has been given a 12 month sentence at Drogheda District Court.
Juan Jose Padilla Allegria with an address at Nivarda House, Monasterboice pleaded guilty to lodging stolen cheques into bank accounts contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Theft and Fraud Act on various dates between August and September 2016.
Sergeant Ray Brady told the court the defendant’s mother was the financial officer of the club at the time when Allegria took the chequebook and wrote himself a number of cheques.
The court heard the defendant wrote himself €11,280 in cheques but only €7,280 was actually cashed. Allegria has paid back €3,100.
Barrister Irene Sands said the gardening club was not at a loss for the remainder of the money has this had been refunded by the bank so the bank is down €4,000 but the club has been compensated in full.
She said Allegria had previously received a two year sentence in the circuit court with the last two months suspended and is due to be released in June 2020. ‘Mr Allegria had been abusing drugs, that’s what prompted all of this,’ she said.
Ms Sands said the defendant has worked very hard since entering custody to beat his addiction and has given ten clean urine samples which show he is drug free.
She said these offences occurred at the same time as the other matters for which he is currently serving a sentence.
Allegria has a partner and four children.
The court heard he has a previous conviction for possession of drugs from July 2018 for an offence which occurred in 2016.
Ms Sands said the defendant has been in custody in relation to these matters since September
9th.
Judge Eirinn McKiernan imposed three four month sentences in relation to three of the charges to run consectuively, backdating the first to September 9th and taking all the other matters into consideration.