Courts / Dublin / Report
Scammer impersonated immigration officer
Summary
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Alan Cloake, 47, pleaded guilty to impersonating an immigration officer and defrauding ten people of €71,000 between 2015 and 2017. Cloake, who used the aliases Michael Madden and Michael Walsh, convinced victims—Malawian and Filipino nationals working illegally—to pay him for a promised citizenship process. The money was spent on gambling and hotels. Cloake had no prior convictions and earned only about €371 a week from welfare during the period. He admitted to using the funds for betting, losing €70,678 in an online gambling account. The court ordered a probation report and adjourned the case for finalisation on 26 October, with the judge allowing time for Cloake to repay the victims.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Scammer impersonated immigration officer. Charges or matters: falsely representing himself as an immigration officer and by deception dishonestly inducing 10 people to pay him money at locations within the State on dates between October 21, 2015 and February 10, 2017; possession of the proceeds of criminal conduct within the State between October 2, 2015 and September 20, 2017. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial
When:
- October 21, 2015 Incident
- February 10, 2017 Incident
- October 2, 2015 Incident
- September 20, 2017 Incident
- October 26 Adjournment
- 2015 and 2017 Incident
- 2021-07-19 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: falsely representing himself as an immigration officer and by deception dishonestly inducing 10 people to pay him money at locations within the State on dates between October 21, 2015 and February 10, 2017; possession of the proceeds of criminal conduct within the State between October 2, 2015 and September 20, 2017 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Pauline Codd ordered a probation report and adjourned the matter for finalisation on October 26, next.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Greenfort Crescent
Topics
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