US attorney faces jail over €169k owed

A US attorney has been given until next Tuesday by the High Court to come up with €169,000 he admits he owes a businessman or face possibly being sent to prison.

Lawrence O’Neill, who lives in Dublin and is an attorney in the US, told the court he hopes to have the money for Adriano Fusco, from Johnstown, Co Kildare, over the next few days but has also asked that he be given until December 29 to do so.

Mr O’Neill appeared in person after Mr Justice Tony O’Connor last week ordered he be brought before the court to explain why he should not be committed to prison for contempt of an earlier court order to pay the money.