Man on disability allowance jailed for money laundering after €228k went through bank account

Father-of-11 Chilimbar Vasile has a previous conviction for stealing money from charity collection boxes in Cork and Waterford churches

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A father-of-11 who received €455 a week in disability allowance as well as over €164,000 in rent allowance was jailed for three years for money laundering.

Cork Circuit Criminal Court was told that Chilimbar Vasile (57), who has a previous conviction for stealing money from charity collection boxes in Cork and Waterford churches, had an AIB bank card in the name of another individual – with Gardaí discovering that over €228,000 had passed through the account.

Vasile of 13A Eagle Valley, Sarsfield Road, Wilton, Cork pleaded guilty before Judge Colin Daly to a money-laundering charge.

He pleaded guilty that, on September 24 2019, the proceeds of criminal conduct, namely a quantity of cash, was credited to an AIB account in the name of another person, knowing or being reckless as to whether the cash involved was the proceeds of crime.

Judge Daly was told by Detective Garda David Kelleher that Gardaí began an investigation over two years ago.

In January 2021, Vasile was found with an AIB card and lodgement slips in the name of another person

Garda investigations determined that, over a four year period, over €228,000 had passed through the account.

An analysis of Vasile’s phone revealed CCTV footage from a property in his native Romania.

This large house was shown with three luxury cars parked in front of it.

It was located on a large plot of land, has a large annex and an attached shed/garage.

There was also CCTV footage of a large quantity of both cash and coins in various denominations being counted on a kitchen table within the property.

Gardaí made overseas inquiries, with the assistance of Interpol, and discovered that the property was owned by Vasile.

No mortgage or loan was found to exist on the property.

Garda investigations focused on the fact that Vasile had no visible or traceable source of income.

When questioned by detectives about the precise source of the monies involved, Vasile said the money had been derived from begging and from selling copies of The Big Issue.

The court was told that Vasile was receiving €455 a week in disability allowance.

Over a number of years, while resident in Cork, he had received more than €164,000 in State rent allowance.

Judge Daly heard that Vasile has a total of nine previous convictions including for stealing from charity and church collection boxes.

In one case, he used a special hook to fish cash-filled envelopes out of the locked collection box – and had targeted churches in Dungarvan, Cloyne and Carrigtwohill in 2021.

Det Garda Daly said garda investigations had determined that a total of €228,274 had passed through the AIB account involved.

This was over a four year period starting in 2017.

Defence counsel, Siobhán Lankford SC, previously argued that her client had cooperated with the garda investigation and had significantly aided the State with a plea of guilty which saved both the time and expense of a potentially lengthy trial.

She also submitted that the property cited in Romania was in fact a home which had a long family background.

The court was told that Vasile had learned “a salutary lesson” and had not come to garda notice since his 2021 arrest.

“If given an opportunity to prove himself he would never engage in activity like this again,” she said.

Judge Daly said an aggravating factor was that Vasile claimed social welfare payments for the duration of his offending.

Vasile had registered with the Revenue Commissioners in 2005 but was without any employment history in this country.

The judge said another aggravating factor was that Vasile had a number of previous convictions including for theft, deception and handling stolen property.

But he noted Vasile’s guilty plea, which was entered at an early stage, and said this was a mitigating factor.

Judge Daly also noted the defendant has a number of medical conditions including diabetes and epilepsy.

“He (Vasile) was also operating the (AIB) account for a substantial period of time. I cannot ignore the fact that as substantial amounts were going into the account, he was claiming social welfare payments,” he said.

Judge Daly imposed a four year prison sentence but agreed to suspend the final year on the basis of Vasile’s plea and co-operation with Gardaí.

All funds in the bank account involved were seized.