DPP appeal against Calin Scintei’s ATM theft sentences dismissed

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the Director of Public Prosecutions’ appeal against the prison sentences imposed on Calin Scintei for offences connected with an ATM cash-trapping operation. The proceedings were reported on 30 July 2026.

Scintei pleaded guilty to participating in the activities of a criminal organisation at an AIB ATM in Stillorgan, criminal damage to a cash dispenser, dishonest appropriation of cash, and dishonest appropriation of property at an AIB ATM in Dún Laoghaire.

The appeal report said he was one of three men caught near the Stillorgan ATM on 12 July 2024 after a cash-trapping device was placed on the machine. The device intercepted cash as members of the public attempted withdrawals.

At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Orla Crowe sentenced Scintei to three years in prison. The appeal report said he received concurrent three-year terms for each offence, reduced from four years to reflect his guilty plea and limited mitigating factors. At the time of the offences he had 124 previous convictions and had been released from prison eight months earlier.

His co-accused Codrin Manoli received three years in prison, with the final six months suspended for two years. Marius Crisan received a three-year suspended sentence. The three men had pleaded guilty to 28 offences in total.

The DPP argued that Scintei’s sentences were unduly lenient. Delivering judgment for the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice Alexander Owens said a more severe sentence could have been justified, but the court was not persuaded that the sentencing judge had crossed the threshold into undue leniency.