Credit Union crook who stole €407k
A FORMER credit union worker who stole more than €407,000 has been jailed for two years.
Moira Coughlan, 55, was the “author and executor of fraud” over a seven-year period at a branch in North Cork.
Yesterday, Judge Sean O Donnabhain said she had “plundered” accounts including clients who had died leaving their estates in probate.
At Cork Circuit Criminal Court, the accused pleaded guilty to 592 offences.
Ms Coughlan is set to receive more than €200,000 for the sale of her house that will be used as compensation in the case, leaving her “destitute”.
Judge O Donnabhain said no one knows the whereabouts of the €407,441.94 sum, including the defendant, and there was “no bundle of cash”.
He told the court cases such as the defendant’s were “largely similar” and involved a first-time offender.
The judge added the individuals had a good work record and had never come to Garda attention.
In sentencing, he stated he had to take mitigating factors into account.
These include the furnishing of substantial compensation and the guilty plea, which avoided the need for a “laborious and long” trial.
He also factored in the level of cooperation Coughlan gave in the case which sped up the Garda investigation.
Judge O Donnabhain backdated her sentence to when she entered custody last November.
He said the case was without exceptional factors which would allow for a suspended sentence.
When Coughlan first pleaded guilty at district court level, a separate room was provided for her to sign the plea while in the presence of a garda due to the large volume of charge sheets.
CHARGES
Det Sgt James O’shea previously told the court the offences occurred at various dates from 2009 to 2016 at Synergy/ Fermoy Credit Union.
The counts include 251 charges of theft contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Theft and Fraud Offences Act, 2001.
The counts also include 300 charges of the unlawful use of a computer and an additional 41 counts of false accounting.
Det Garda O’shea said the funds were also taken from family accounts.
The court heard it was a case of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” as Coughlan often took funds from customers only to pay those accounts back by accessing the ones in probate.
The court heard the defendant, from the Stables in Glanmire, Co Cork, was in a “trusted position”.
Her offences were uncovered in September 2016 and an investigation was launched. Coughlan’s computer, laptop and mobile phone were seized.
The insurance company paid out in relation to the incident.
Defence barrister Patrick O’riordan previously said Coughlan was remorseful for her actions and she co-operated with gardai at the earliest possibly opportunity.
The court heard there was no evidence of a lavish lifestyle and no explanation was given as to what the money was spent on over the years.
Coughlan had told gardai she used the cash for day-to-day living.
In her capacity as an insurance officer, Coughlan had control of the accounts of 25 deceased members.
She also was able to access the accounts of family members.