Courts / Kildare / Report

Couple jailed for €114k social welfare fraud

Summary

Cristan Turbat and Dorina Turbat, of Maynooth, Kildare, were sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for social welfare fraud. The couple pleaded guilty to sample charges representative of an indictment of over 570 charges covering April 2017 to January 2019. Cristan Turbat admitted to 10 charges of stealing cash from the Department of Social Protection and one charge of making a false statement. Dorina Turbat pleaded guilty to 10 similar theft charges and one false statement charge. Judge Martin Nolan jailed both defendants for 18 months, reducing a headline sentence of three years due to their guilty pleas, cooperation, and remorse. The court found they conspired to defraud the State of over €114,000 by having Cristan work under a false identity while Dorina claimed jobseeker's allowance, working family payment, and rent supplement. Michael McMahon, their employer, was previously sentenced to a 14-month suspended term for aiding and abetting the fraud. His sentence was suspended in full on the condition he repay €55,215. €21,350 found in the Turbats' home will be confiscated, leaving a balance of just over €13,000 to be repaid. The matter was finalised with the imposition of these custodial sentences and repayment conditions.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Couple jailed for €114k social welfare fraud. Charges or matters: sample charges which were representative of an indictment of over 570 charges – representing an offending period of April 2017 to January 2019; 10 charges of stealing various amounts of cash from the Department of Social Protection and one charge of making a false statement on dates between May 2017 and February 2019; a charge of aiding and abetting Cristan Turbat to knowingly making a statement or representation for the purpose of obtaining an entitlement of a benefit for himself or another and a charge of knowingly make a false statement on dates between February 1, 2015 and January 31, 2019. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• April 2017 Hearing Or Sentence
• January 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
• May 2017 Hearing Or Sentence
• February 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
• February 1, 2015 Other
• January 31, 2019 Other
• 2025-11-04 Publication

Why: Garda Shane Devereux told George Burns BL, prosecuting, that €114,565 was claimed through social welfare by Dorina Turbat which she was not entitled to because Cristan Turbat was working under a false identity. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Fraud Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report