PA stole over €1million from employer over 14 years

A PERSONAL assistant stole more than €1million from her employers over a 14-year period by fraudulently lodging their cheques to her own bank account, a court has heard.

Mother-of-two Siobhán Maguire, 47, spent the money over the years paying her mortgage, going on holidays and supporting her children.

Ms Maguire, of The Brambles, Skerries, Dublin pleaded guilty to 32 sample theft and fraud charges for depositing 660 cheques to her bank account ranging between €5,000 to €700, between 2001 and 2015. Stealing a total amount of €1,187,616.

Ms Maguire, who has no previous convictions, faced sentencing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after entering a guilty plea in the District Court. Judge Patricia Ryan adjourned sentencing until October 26 and remanded Ms Maguire on bail.

Garda Faulkner told Maurice Coffey BL, prosecuting, that from May 2001 Ms Maguire worked as a shared personal assistant to two employees at offices in Church Street, Dublin.

Mr Coffey said that part of the job of the mother-of-two during the 14 years, was to lodge cheques into the business accounts of the two employees. Mr Coffey said that during this time she also lodged an additional 660 cheques, which she had falsely signed, to her own account. Ms Maguire had then withdrawn the deposits from the account in cash.

The fraud was discovered in January 2015 after a bank employee became suspicious of the cheques Ms Maguire was depositing.

Mr Devally said Maguire, who is separated from the father of her children, had been paying the mortgage on their jointly owned home by herself and supporting her two children. He said instead of confronting her former partner about his obligations she took this ‘stop gap measure’ and it became part of her life.

Counsel said the first withdrawal had occurred on Christmas Eve 2001 and Ms Maguire had convinced herself at that time that it was something she could make up for.

Mr Devalley said that discovery of the offences had come as a horrible shock but there was also relief that her double life had been brought to an end. He said she was dogged by mortification and shame at the offences. He handed in a number of testimonials and letters from Ms Maguire’s family.

Garda Faulkner said that Ms Maguire was genuinely remorseful.