Socialite conman Breifne O'Brien jailed for 7 years

Once described as the "poster boy for the worst excesses of the Celtic Tiger", fraudster businessman Breifne O’Brien has been jailed for seven years for running a Ponzi scheme that cost his victims millions of euro.

Ireland’s Bernie Madoff, O’Brien used stolen millions to fund his lavish lifestyle — paying for an extension to his house, a new car for his wife and the stamp duty on new properties, in the multi-million euro scheme.

He convinced long-standing friends from his days in Trinity College Dublin and family business associates that he was linked to property deals in Paris, Manchester, and Hamburg, and a shipping insurance scheme.