Courts / Dublin / Report
International scam artist jailed for two years
Summary
Dana Maria Popovici, 35, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for using false Italian identification and a false Romanian driving licence to open eight bank accounts that processed €168,148 between 2016 and 2019. The accounts were held at Ulster Bank, Allied Irish Bank and KBC. Gardaí seized equipment used to produce fake documents and discovered that Popovici had been arrested in Finland in November 2018 with a member of an organised crime gang. She pleaded guilty to four charges of using false identification to open bank accounts. The prosecution noted that the fraud involved selling undelivered machinery or vehicles online and a Revenue‑related scam that stole almost €10,000 from three Irish victims. Judge Orla Crowe back‑dated the sentence to June, when Popovici was first remanded, and described the case as an international online fraud of great complexity. The sentence was imposed after Popovici's guilty plea and the judge's assessment of her poor use of her talents.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: International scam artist jailed for two years. Charges or matters: four charges of using false identification to open bank accounts on dates between October 2016 and October 2018. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- November 2018 Incident
- May 2023 Incident
- October 2016 Incident
- October 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2016 and 2019 Other
- 2023-11-10 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: four charges of using false identification to open bank accounts on dates between October 2016 and October 2018 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Crowe imposed a sentence of two years backdating it to June this year, when Popovici was first remanded in custody.; Judge Crowe imposed a sentence of two years backdating it to June this year, when Popovici was first remanded in custody.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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