Courts / Dublin / Report

Pensioner stole over €100k in benefits, court hears

Summary

Marie McMahon, aged 68, admitted to stealing €101,538.80 in social welfare payments over 12 years by fraudulently using her sister Katherine's card. After Katherine emigrated in 1992, a friend initially collected benefits, and when Katherine was hospitalized, McMahon agreed to continue. They split the money until Katherine's death in 2012. McMahon kept collecting until facial‑recognition technology identified her in July 2014. She pleaded guilty to 13 charges at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, with a prior 1979 drug possession conviction. The Director of Public Prosecutions accepted the pleas as sample counts. McMahon was remanded on bail pending sentencing on 7 June, with a probation report ordered. The case remains at the hearing stage.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Pensioner stole over €100k in benefits, court hears. Charges or matters: 13 charges of stealing various amounts of social welfare payments from James's Street Post Office on dates between September 1, 2002 and June 11, 2014. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• July 2014 Incident
• September 1, 2002 Incident
• June 11, 2014 Incident
• June 7 Adjournment
• 2002 to 2014 Other
• 2016-03-09 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report