Conman claimed McManus would fund angel firm

A gambling addict conned over €27,000 from a couple by convincing them racehorse owner JP McManus would finance their angel sanctuary business.

Andrew Duff told the couple he was a businessman with “serious connections” to Mr McManus, Denis O’Brien, and the directors of Setanta.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Lorraine Coffey and Eugene O’Connor wanted help in expanding their business from a shop in France, where they live now. The company, Lorries Angels, sells spiritual items around the idea of angels.

Duff, aged 46, of Kilpatrick, Kyle, Co Wexford, pleaded guilty to theft from the couple at AIB, Dún Laoghaire, on Feb 16, 2011.

Garda Donal O’Sullivan told Tara Burns BL, prosecuting, that the couple had planned to run the company on a not-for-profit basis and agreed to take Duff on as an unpaid financial adviser for a year.

The garda said they had 100% trust in Duff.

He claimed to have set up a meeting between the couple and Mr McManus but at the last minute showed them an email purporting to be from the millionaire in which he cancelled the meeting.

The court heard that when later questioned by gardaí Mr McManus said he did not know Mr Duff and had not sent the email.

At one stage Duff told the couple they would have to transfer €25,000 to his account, which they did in Feb 2011.

He told them they had to register an employee in Ireland. He later billed them for €2,593 which he said had to be paid in employer’s contribution taxes.

When this employee looked for his P45 from the Revenue Commissioners it emerged that Duff had not paid these taxes and gardaí were called in.

Duff was in the middle of a gambling addiction course when arrested. He told them he was unable to distinguish truth from lies and so he could not actually say what he had done.

Gardaí found the €25,000 had been spent over 34 transactions with Paddy Power bookmakers’ online betting site.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring said she was concerned that Revenue may still seek money from the victims in relation to their unpaid taxes and wanted to clarify this. She adjourned sentencing until June.