Immigration scammer was claiming PUP, court hears

A Georgian national from Monaghan pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to his role in facilitating illegal immigration and money laundering offences occurring between 2017 and 2019. The defendant, aged 46, was also found to have falsely claimed pandemic unemployment payments. A second Georgian man, aged 24, pleaded guilty to similar charges spanning 2018 to 2020, including theft of Covid-19 pandemic unemployment support valued at nearly €6,000 obtained through fraudulent documentation. Both men were described as lower-ranking members of an organised crime network that distributed forged travel and identity documents to facilitate mainly Georgian nationals entering Ireland and other countries. Judge Martin Nolan imposed two-year sentences on each man, taking into account their peripheral roles within the sophisticated operation, their guilty pleas, and co-operation with gardaí. Both have remained in custody since late 2020. Three other individuals previously received sentences ranging from three to four years for their involvement in the same organisation.