Suspended sentence for delivery man involved in Louth fuel card scam
A 43-year-old delivery driver who transported drums of diesel as part of a fuel card scam has received a fully suspended sentence.
Michael Bucko, Church View, Chapel Lane, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, pleaded guilty to three handling stolen property charges on an amended indictment.
Dundalk Circuit Court heard that he had been put in contact with a number of co-accused who wanted to avail of his delivery service and that he had been reckless in his transportation of the fuel from a North Louth service station.
The scam developed after a transport company lost its fuel card which was retrieved by an unknown person and subsequently used by the co-accused to get fuel from Ballymascanlon Service Station in August and September, 2023.
The loss during Mr Bucko’s involvement amounted to €5,286.86. He pleaded guilty to handling €3,274.21-worth of fuel.
He was present for 10 transactions over seven days, while four other men, all of whom received suspended sentences, were at the filling station for 59, 50, 28 and six transactions respectively.
Det Gda Charlie Barrett said that the defendant, who had the assistance of a Slovakian interpreter for his sentence hearing, drove a Citroen Relay which he remained with as drums were filled with diesel and placed in the back by the others.
The father of two co-operated with the investigation. He admitted being present and identified himself from CCTV., having presented himself at the garda station.
The van was his and registered to him. He said that he had been hired to attend at the service station.
There are three previous convictions, one for theft and two for traffic offences.
Det Gda Barrett agreed with defence counsel Stephen Faulkner that Mr Bucko played a lesser role than the other men.
There had been no trouble since, and only at a minor level before.
Mr Faulkner said that his client was regretful and remorseful. He wrote a letter to the court as did a former partner, the mother of his second child, who was present.
He accepted that he made a mistake with people who lied to him initially.
Judge Dara Hayes said that €1,000 which Michael Bucko had could be given to the transport company, after he was told a dispute was ongoing between them and the fuel card company over who should bear the loss.
The judge said a lost fuel card had been used on multiple occasions. The defendant assisted people because he had a van.
His pleas of guilty were made on the basis of recklessness.
Perhaps at the outset he was not aware of what was going on, but it became clear what was taking place was highly irregular, the judge continued.
It was serious and repeated offending. He appeared the least culpable.
Concurrent 16-month sentences were imposed, suspended for 16 months.