Courts / Meath / Report
Jail term too severe for international gang member who stole over €120k, lawyers argue
Summary
A 32-year-old Romanian national is appealing a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence imposed for his role in an international bank card skimming operation. Daniel Munteanu pleaded guilty at Trim Circuit Criminal Court to ten counts of theft totalling €121,800 from 52 Bank of Ireland accounts between September 2018 and March 2019. Over 300 withdrawals were made from ATMs across multiple counties including Cavan and Monaghan. Gardaí recovered cloned bank cards, a card-cloning machine, and forged identity documents from his home. At the Court of Appeal, his legal team contended the original sentence was disproportionate, characterising Munteanu as a foot-soldier in the gang who received approximately ten per cent of proceeds. The Director of Public Prosecutions countered that Munteanu was an integral member of an established international criminal network operating across multiple jurisdictions with significant resources. The court reserved judgment.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Jail term too severe for international gang member who stole over €120k, lawyers argue. Charges or matters: 10 charges of stealing €121,800 from 52 Bank of Ireland accounts between September 9, 2018 and March 4, 2019. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- September 9, 2018 Incident
- March 4, 2019 Incident
- 2022-03-07 Publication
Why: Today, at the Court of Appeal, Bernard Condon SC, for the appellant, explained that skimming involved the placing of an electronic device inside an ATM to 'read' the bank details of unsuspecting customers as they withdrew cash. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: 10 charges of stealing €121,800 from 52 Bank of Ireland accounts between September 9, 2018 and March 4, 2019 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Munteanu is appealing the severity of the sentence on the grounds that Judge Martina Baxter had placed insufficient weight on mitigation whilst relying too heavily on aggravating factors when she imposed a custodial term on him at Trim Circuit Criminal Court last March.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
- Trim
- Trim Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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