Michael Connor sentenced to one year in prison over Trinity hardship fund scheme

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

Michael Connor was sentenced to one year in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of possessing the proceeds of criminal conduct. The charges related to a scheme in which his bank account received €9,950 in four payments between October 2020 and January 2021; he also recruited others to share their bank details. The court heard there was no suggestion Connor applied to the fund himself.

Judge Martin Nolan rejected a request for a non-custodial sentence. He said Connor had acted as a conduit for money going to others and that recruiting people aggravated his role. The court heard that the investigation had identified 295 transactions totalling €534,500 in payments to people outside Trinity’s student cohort. The report said no other investigations into participants had concluded.