Defendant faced initimidation when she tried to recover her card, says solicitor
Tralee Courthouse. Photo by Mark O’Sullivan.
A woman convicted for laundering €10,000 shared her bank card to help her son, Tralee District Court heard on Wednesday.
Catherine McElligot (44) of Knockbrane, Lixnaw gave her bank card to “persons of nefarious backgrounds” and money was physically withdrawn, Sergeant Chris Manton told the court.
The court heard she made payments to a criminal organisation of €4,600 on October 17, 2024 and €400, €700 and €4,300 on October 18, 2024.
Judge Waters convicted.
Ms McElligot allowed the withdrawals to help her son, solicitor Pat Mann told the court.
“But she knowingly gave her card to this criminal organisation,” said Judge David Waters.
“The people who got the benefit are walking away the whole time,” said Mr Mann.
Ms McElligot had told her solicitor she faced intimidation when she tried to recover the card. Now, said Mr Mann, she was “the only one in the whole group that’s being prosecuted”.
Sergeant Manton noted gardaí had a wide money laundering investigation. Laundering was portrayed to youths as a victimless crime, he said, while defendants ended up in Circuit Court facing serious criminal charges.
Ms McElligot had not come to garda attention before and had been extremely co-operative, he added.
“To make your bank account available to people involved in criminal activity is not victimless,” said the judge.
Solicitor Mr Mann noted it began “innocently in the beginning and then landed herself in bother”.
The case was adjourned to April 15 for sentencing.
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