A woman who “stupidly” gave her Revolut account details to two men who approached her at a rave has avoided a jail term for money laundering.
Rebecca Williamson (25) told gardaí she was intoxicated when approached by the men, who told her they would “throw me a grand” after asking for her Revolut details.
Williamson of Templeview Drive, Clarehall, Coolock, Dublin 17, pleaded guilty to money laundering on dates between September 6th and 8th, 2023. She has no previous convictions.
Passing sentence, judge Martina Baxter at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court said this was a serious offence but one that comes before the courts all too frequently.
She said Williamson’s role in giving her details was to facilitate a cycle of criminal activity while those higher up the ladder avoided detection.
In mitigation the court took into account full co-operation, the insight she has gained as well as her genuine remorse.
Imposing a 12-month sentence, the judge suspended it in full for 12 months. She also directed that €1,000 be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The judge said custody was not warranted given her progress and circumstances.
Garda Keith Coleman told the court that gardaí had received confidential information that caused them to start an investigation into Williamson. Gardaí submitted a data protection request to Revolut for her bank account documentation and transactions.
Coleman said gardaí were able to ascertain that between September 6th and September 8th, 2023, a total of €13,900 was deposited into her account via single-card top-ups. The cards were added via Apple Pay or Google Pay, with 18 deposits of about €700.
The money came in over the three-day period and was immediately transferred to a number of individuals in various amounts.
Williamson met gardaí and made full admissions. She told them she had been at a rave event and was approached by two men who asked for her Revolut so they could order a premium black Revolut card. She said the men told her they would “throw me a grand”.
She told gardaí she had been intoxicated and wasn’t thinking.
She said she began getting threatening phone calls and feared the worst. She did not tell her family what was going on and a week or two later she received €1,000 via a friend.
The court heard she had been at the rave with this friend, who knew the men.
Patrick Jackson, defending, said this had been an incident on a night out when her wits were not at their sharpest. He said she accepted she had been stupid.
Her employer provided a letter to the court saying she was reliable, professional and trustworthy, with a strong work ethic.
Jackson said this offence was “a complete one-off”.