Courts / Leitrim / Report
"Psychic" guilty of €1.6m deception
Summary
A man from Aughavas, County Leitrim, has been convicted of theft and money laundering totalling €1.6 million at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Simon Gold, aged 54, had pleaded not guilty to 22 charges including money laundering, theft, deception, and control of false instruments spanning January 2010 to October 2012. Following over two weeks of evidence, a jury returned guilty verdicts on 20 counts after deliberating for more than 12 hours. The jury acquitted Gold on one count of deception relating to €28,000. The prosecution case outlined that Gold misrepresented himself as a qualified financier and merchant banker to secure large sums from investors who believed they were making down payments towards loans. One complainant transferred €1.6 million in October 2012 into what he thought was his own account but which Gold controlled. Gold was remanded in custody pending sentencing on 31 July.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: "Psychic" guilty of €1.6m deception. Procedural stage: trial
When:
- January 1, 2010 Hearing Or Sentence
- October 22, 2012 Hearing Or Sentence
- July 31 Adjournment
- October 15, 2012 Other
- 2019-06-10 Publication
Why: Lorcan Staines SC, prosecuting, told the jury that in 2011, these men were deceived into transferring what they believed were down payments into bank accounts controlled by Gold in order to secure the loans. CNI source report
Places mentioned
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