Nerigus Flederis jailed for possessing stolen vehicles

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

Judge Mary Ellen Ring imposed a three-year prison sentence on Nerigus Flederis, a Lithuanian mechanic, and suspended 18 months. She accepted there was no indication that he had profited from the organisation but considered his involvement essential to a highly profitable criminal operation. The proceedings were reported on 28 November 2014.

Flederis pleaded guilty to four charges of possessing stolen vehicles, involving an Audi A5, an Audi Q3, a Nissan Qashqai and a BMW 3 series. He also admitted possessing two petrol tanks. The offences occurred on 20 September 2013, with the petrol-tank offence taking place at McAuley’s yard in Balbriggan. His pleas were accepted on the basis of recklessness about whether the vehicles were stolen.

Flederis said he received €100 each week for dismantling cars. The report described plans to send the parts to Eastern Europe. In his account to gardaí, he said the request to work on the vehicles had aroused his curiosity, but he sought no explanation. He maintained he would have refused the work if he had known the vehicles were stolen.

According to the report, the four cars were stolen during September 2013 from Rathmines, Rathgar and Celbridge in Kildare. Flederis had no earlier convictions. He had remained in custody following his arrest because he could not afford bail.