FÁS training centre manager jailed for defrauding woman of €55k

A manager of a State-owned training centre defrauded a woman in his care of €55,000 to pay off his own debts, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.

Brendan Madden, a manager at Thomas Court Centre, a FÁS specialist training provider, deceived Monica Duignam into giving him over half of compensation money she had received from an incident.

Madden (aged 44) of The Park, Liffey Hall, Newbridge in Kildare pleaded guilty to dishonestly withdrawing €30,000 from Ms Duignam’s AIB account on November 5, 2007. He also pleaded guilty to dishonestly withdrawing €25,000 from the same account on June 16, 2008.

Madden, who has no previous convictions, was sentenced to two and a half years by Judge Martin Nolan.

Garda Tara Dolan told prosecuting counsel, Kerida Naidoo BL, that Ms Duignam was training as a kitchen staff member at the centre and Madden was assigned as her key worker.

He was aware she had received €100,000 in compensation and told her he was in financial difficulties to pay off his debts.

She agreed to loan him €30,000 which he was to pay back €250 every two weeks.

“He made some repayments but then they stopped,” said Gda Dolan.

A year later, he approached Ms Duignam again and told her his sister was involved in investment. He gave Ms Duignam fraudulent investment documents and managed to coax €25,000 out of her and told her she would get €33,000 in return for her money.

“She never got any money back and the capital sums were never recovered,” said Gda Dolan.

Ms Duignam’s family discovered her compensation money was missing and she told them she had lent over half of it to Madden.

Her family reported it to gardaí and Madden was arrested and made full admissions.

“He felt ashamed and was in a lot of debt as he got caught up in the Celtic Tiger and was living way beyond his means,” said defence counsel, Luigi Rea BL.

“He realises the seriousness of what he did and he is on anti-depressants as he has problems of his own,” defence counsel said.

Mr Rea said Madden hid the extent of the fraud from his wife, telling her the money had come from a finance company.

Judge Nolan remarked that Madden “was in a position of trust and he took advantage of this woman who was in his care.”