Man with an unexplained €60k in his account jailed for receiving six other people’s covid benefits

Stefan Muntean, who has prior convictions for theft and trespass, had been entitled to a carer’s allowance to look after his father and had worked intermittently. Photo: Tom Tuite

An unemployed father of four who could not explain almost €60,000 lodged into his accounts over four months and was receiving six other people’s Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) has been jailed.

Stefan Muntean, a Romanian national with an address at Meadowbrook, Athlone, Co Westmeath, was handed a three-year sentence by Judge Keenan Johnson at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court.

The 39-year-old, who was on social welfare, pleaded guilty to money laundering using his account in his local credit union and the finance app Revolut, and welfare fraud in 2022.

The investigation was triggered when the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau’s financial intelligence unit became aware of suspicious transactions.

Athlone-based Detective Garda Kenneth Nerney said that from July 1 to October 24, 2022, Muntean had €48,752 put through his Revolut account. The source of these funds could not be identified, with Muntean telling officers that unnamed friends or relatives transferred some money to him.

Unexplained cash lodgements to his credit union account came to about €11,000 from May 18 to November 25, 2022. Detective Garda James Martin stated that the probe identified six PPS numbers of individuals not residing in Ireland at the time but who were receiving PUP support, totalling €16,786, and which was also paid into Muntean’s credit union account.

The PUP was a temporary social welfare payment for employees and self-employed individuals who were out of work due to covid-19. Judge Johnson described them as serious offences that were a fraud on the State.

Over that time, he spent €90,000 in an online casino and withdrew €68,622 from his gambling account. Muntean, with prior convictions for theft and trespass, had been entitled to a carer’s allowance to look after his father and had worked intermittently.

Gardaí accepted he had no display of wealth, the court heard. Desmond Dockery SC, defending, said his client was admitting he was reckless in allowing his account to be used for the pandemic payments.

In a plea for leniency, the defence said Muntean, who came to Ireland almost 20 years ago, was a member of the Roma community who suffered with health issues, had a gambling habit, now lives in squalor and was estranged from his family.

The accused, who listened to the proceedings with the aid of an interpreter, did not address the court.

Passing sentence, Judge Johnson said the money laundering offence attracted a headline prison term of seven years. Taking into account his guilty plea and the mitigation, he reduced it to five years and six months. 

However, he suspended two and a half years on condition that Muntean did not re-offend for five years. A concurrent two-year term was imposed for the PUP fraud.