Courts / Dublin / Report

Priest had €50k stolen from bank account in phone scam

Summary

A parish priest's personal bank account was almost €50,000 emptied in a phone‑scam that involved a bogus broadband connection fee. The priest, after receiving a call from a supposed broadband company, attempted to pay a one‑off fee of €5 online. He tried to make the payment over 40 times in four days, resulting in the loss of nearly €50,000. Money mule Kelvin Kleinovas (24) later transferred €10,000 of the stolen cash into his own account. Kleinovas pleaded guilty in August 2019 to having the proceeds of crime in his account and was arrested in September 2021. He has seven prior convictions, including money laundering, for which he received a two‑year suspended sentence. None of the stolen money was recovered. The priest's victim impact statement expressed deep disappointment with the bank's failure to protect his funds and described the loss as devastating.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Priest had €50k stolen from bank account in phone scam. Charges or matters: having the proceeds of crime in his bank account in August 2019. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• August 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
• September 2021 Incident
• March 28 Adjournment
• 2024-12-11 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Fraud Stage Hearing Or Decision Theft

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Read the original CNI report