Man who threatened gardaí while being interviewed for money laundering is jailed

Claire Henry

A young Dublin man who made threats to gardaí and said he would “smash his house up” while being interviewed for money laundering has been jailed for 18 months.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Reece O’Brien (23) of Seven Oakes. Kilmainham, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and one count of having the proceeds of crime at the above address on December 24th 2020 and February 12th 2021.

He has 36 previous convictions.

A co-accused, Stephanie Boylan (24) of Liscannor Road, Cabra, Dublin 7, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering at a location within the State on December 24th 2020. She has no previous convictions.

At an earlier hearing, Detective Garda David Naughton told Joe Mulrean, BL, prosecuting, that gardaí received confidential information stating there was a strong smell of cannabis coming from O’Brien’s apartment.

He was observed by gardaí acting suspiciously in front of his apartment, and a search warrant was obtained. On the day the warrant was executed, gardaí requested support from the Garda Armed Support Unit.

The court heard that during the search of the apartment, cannabis, weighing scales, and bagging equipment were found in the kitchen, €5,595 in cash was also found, and a WV Golf was also seized.

High-value items such as Canada Goose jackets, a Moncler coat, Louis Vuitton items and a PlayStation 5 were also found.

Der Gda Naughton said the seized VW Golf had been bought from a dealership on December 24, 2020. CCTV footage was obtained after a warrant was issued, and O’Brien, Boylan and a second man were seen on CCTV at the dealership.

Both men could be seen handing over cash in the sum of €20,800. Boylan was seen signing the logbook in her own name. Enquiries were made by the gardai to Revenue and the Department of Social Welfare, which showed that O’Brien had no income. Boylan was working in a department store at the time.

The court heard during his garda interview, O’Brien only spoke to threaten gardai, and he provided a preprepared statement which said that the €5,595 found in his apartment had nothing to do with him.

He threatened to smash a garda’s house up, he spat at a member of the gardai and said he would “bite their faces off and kill them.”

Det Gda Naughton agreed with Keith Spencer, BL, defending O’Brien, that at the time of the offending, his client was 18 and had a cannabis addiction.

The garda agreed with counsel that, two days in advance of his trial date, O’Brien indicated that a trial would not be necessary.

Mr Spencer said his client has begun to put some shape on his life. He said he regrets his behaviour and states that he wants to carve out a new path for the future.

He highlighted to the court his client's mental health difficulties and that he has a problem regulating his behaviour, impulses and emotions.

Det Gda Naughton agreed with Nicola Cox, BL, defending Boylan, said that her client and O’Brien had been in a relationship from a young age.

He agreed that Boylan has no previous convictions and that she has never come to the garda's attention.

Ms Cox said her client wishes to apologise for her actions and handed in a letter to the court, which outlined that she wishes to take full responsibility for her actions.

She told the court that Boylan is a productive member of society who comes from a good, supportive family.

She said Boylan has learned a very powerful lesson and deeply regrets her actions that have brought her before the court. She asked the court to be as lenient as possible.

Passing the sentence on Thursday, Judge Orla Crowe noted that an “awful lot of cash” was found along with high-value items when gardai carried out a search of the property.

She said it was “clear these were the proceeds of crime”, noting the presence of high-value items and signs of wealth. The judge said she had considered the mitigation, including the guilty pleas and the youth of both defendants.

Judge Crowe said a custodial sentence had to be imposed on O'Brien and handed him a sentence of two years and six months.

She suspended the final 12 months of the sentence for two years on strict conditions to incentivise his rehabilitation.

Judge Crowe said Boylan “must have known” that the car was being paid for using the proceeds of crime, as it was paid for in cash. She imposed an 18-month sentence, suspended for three years, on strict conditions.