Employee stole €400,000 from credit union ‘to impress others’

A TRUSTED employee who stole more than €400,000 from a credit union and spent the cash so she could impress others with her lifestyle was jailed for two years.

Moira Coughlan (55) was given a two-year prison sentence for withdrawing funds from the accounts of deceased credit union members in an elaborate scheme over seven years.

The mother of one appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to a total of 592 charges in respect of Synergy/Fermoy Credit Union in north Cork.

The charges involved theft, unlawful use of a computer and false accounting.

Judge Sean O’Donnabhain jailed Coughlan as he warned the breach of trust involved was “phenomenal” and her actions were “deplorable”.

Coughlan had her two-year sentence backdated to November 15 when she was first taken into custody.

Defence counsel Patrick O’Riordan BL had previously said the defendant hoped to be able to offer up to €200,000 in compensation to Synergy through an inheritance, a pension and other means.