Courts / Dublin / Report

Childcare worker turned money mule and took in €25k

Summary

Chelsea Dooley, a 23‑year‑old childcare worker from Blanchardstown, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of the proceeds of criminal crime after her bank account was used to launder nearly €25,000 stolen from an AIB account. Gardaí were alerted on 5 January 2021 when a man reported money missing from his account. Between 21 December 2020 and 4 January 2021, nine transactions totalling €24,900 were taken, with €23,899 transferred to Dooley's account and €1 to another account. The theft was linked to a smishing fraud. Dooley was arrested, interviewed, and admitted she had lost her bank card; CCTV showed an unknown male using it. Her defence argued she did not profit and had no prior convictions. The court accepted her guilty plea, noted her good character, and ordered a probation report before sentencing on 31 March 2023.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Childcare worker turned money mule and took in €25k. Charges or matters: two counts of possession of the proceeds of criminal crime. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

• January 5, 2021 Incident
• December 21, 2020 Incident
• January 4, 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
• March 31, 2023 Other
• 2022-12-15 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Fraud Stage Charge Or Pretrial Theft

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Read the original CNI report