Mother and daughter laundered over €500,000 for Louth organised crime group
A mother and daughter will be sentenced next month after pleading guilty to money laundering more than €500,000 for the Boylan Organised Crime Group (OCG).
Bernadette (45) and Alisha Thornton (23), both of Moneymore, Drogheda, were remanded on continuing bail to April 20.
Dundalk Circuit Court heard that the two women, neither of whom have previous convictions, are related to a prominent member of the OCG.
Bernadette Thornton, a healthcare worker, admitted two counts of money laundering on dates between March 2020 and December 2022, totalling €282,477 in an AIB account and a Revolut account.
Meanwhile, Alisha Thornton pleaded guilty to two money laundering charges totalling €231,018 on dates between January 2021 and December 2022 in an AIB account and a Revolut account.
A make-up artist at the time of her arrest, she also admitted theft and social welfare fraud of carer’s allowance of €11,840 from October 2022 and May 2023 by making a false statement.
The total amount of the money laundered came to €513,495.
Det Gda Niall McManus said that the two accused came to attention for the activity on their back accounts during an investigation into the Boylan OCG.
A total of €138,883 went in and out Bernadette Thornton’s AIB account and €143,594 in and out of the Revolut account.
In respect of Alisha Thornton, €79,999 went in and out of her AIB account and €151,019 in and out of her Revolut account.
Withdrawals from her accounts were made in Dubai, Ukraine, Turkey and Ireland.
She told Gardaí, “I didn’t benefit from anything”, and that she was fearful for the safety of her family.
Det Gda McManus said that Alisha is “a cousin of a senior figure of the Boylan Organised Crime Group.”
He told the court that Bernadette, is “a sister of a close associate of the Boylan Organised Crime Group and an aunt of a prominent member of the group”.
She said that she was afraid for Alisha. She didn’t benefit from anything.
A healthcare worker in a local nursing home, she told investigators that her abusive ex-partner “drank all my money and smoked all my money.”
Det Gda McManus replied to defence counsel that Bernadette Thornton’s involvement was “more family loyalty than hear” and that she “didn’t profit at all”.
She wrote a letter of apology to the court.
Det Gda McManus said there was some gain for Alisha Thornton but not “major gain”.
Judge Dara Hayes adjourned sentencing to allow for a psychological report to be completed on Alisha.