Man claimed €43k fraudulently avoids jail

Catphish

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/man-who-claimed-43k-in-welfare-payments-using-brothers-card-avoids-jail-594544.html

A Dublin man has avoided a jail term for “a dirty little scheme” of fraudulently claiming more than €43,000 in social welfare over a four year period using his brother’s identity.

The court heard that Martin Foley claimed roughly €188 in Job Seeker's Allowance every week from his local post office using his brother’s social welfare card.

Foley, who has a chronic alcohol addiction, was also claiming disability allowance during the same period.

His brother, Brendan Foley, has been living in the UK since the mid-80s and knew nothing of the fraud.

Foley (aged 53) of Walnut Rise, Courtlands, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to nine counts of deceptively inducing another to make a payment of Job Seeker’s Allowance, using a social welfare card in the name of Brendan Foley, at a post office on Drumcondra Road Lower and the Social Welfare Office on Kings Inns Street, between August 2007 and November 2011.

He also pleaded guilty to filling out a false ML10 identity form in the name of Brendan Foley at Whitehall Garda Station on March 5, 2011.

The Director of Public Prosecutions accepted these 10 sample counts from a total of 63 charges, and the remainder were taken into consideration.

Judge Donagh McDonagh described it as a “carefully, well thought-out plan” with no consideration for the people of Ireland who were funding his “dirty little scheme”.

He said Foley also had no consideration for his brother’s name which he was quite prepared “to drag through the muck”.

The judge said it was “quite remarkable” that Foley was capable of drinking the 120 units of alcohol he had been on a daily basis and survive it.

He accepted evidence that Foley regularly drank 50 bottles of beer and 3 bottles of vodka a day.

He accepted that Foley has since “got some class of grip” on his alcohol abuse but said he must make some form of recompense for the crime.

Judge McDonagh sentenced Foley to 18 months in prison which he suspended in full on the condition that he keep the peace and be of good behaviour for two years and repay the State €1,000 within 18 months.

I don't understand the leniency here. People are sent to jail for not paying a fine for not paying their TV licence, and this is all he gets? I also can't understand how hes still alive drinking 50 bottles of beer and 3 bottles of vodka a day! :eek:

Schnitzel Muncher

The whole thing is a shambles.

I sometimes wonder why they bother bringing so many cases to court when the judges repeatedly take the piss like this.

Hootanany

And they jail a guy for contempt see other thread tis fooked up.

starviewadams

Schnitzel Muncher wrote: »

The whole thing is a shambles.

I sometimes wonder why they bother bringing so many cases to court when the judges repeatedly take the piss like this.

Solicitors,barristers and Gardai have to get paid somehow!

Death and Taxes

Shockin Joe, its just shockin:D

woodoo

Death and Taxes wrote: »

Shockin Joe, its just shockin:D

It is shocking

0ph0rce0

Sounds like the guy i was talking about before, used to drink 3-5 liters of vodka a day.

Went to doctors when he was ill and doctor said if you stop drinking the vodka you will die so keep drinking it...madness.

Meh!!! 43k, if he hadn't have gotten it, the dáil bar would have.

Corvo

350 bottles of beer a week and 21 bottles of vodka.

Never mind the report on his scam, this man is a medical marvel.

Clone his liver I say.

On another note, if he ever sobers up, he will have a dose of The Fear that will be akin to the arrival of the Devil himself and a dose of ring sting that will likely require full amputation of his arse.

Death and Taxes

woodoo wrote: »

It is shocking

Then you're easily shocked, long may you stay proteted from the reality of the real excesses in this society.:rolleyes:

Lando Griffin

43K. on booze.
If it was drugs that he was spending it on he would be doing time. Guaranteed.

snubbleste

The court heard that a total of €43,300 was collected and none of the money has been recovered.

Foley had recently married a lady from the Mauritius, but was interrupted by Judge McDonagh, who quipped: “She’s blessed.”
The court heard that it was a “marriage of convenience” which is currently under investigation by the Garda Bureau of Immigration.

So, the money is still outstanding and he is being investigated for a 'green card' marriage

Odysseus

Fcuk, that guy's life is so **** that I really can't see any p[oint in jailing him, 7 pervious ods. This guy needs help not jail.

carrig2

snubbleste wrote: »

So, the money is still outstanding and he is being investigated for a 'green card' marriage

He may have even charged that girl for "the marriage"

Schnitzel Muncher

0ph0rce0 wrote: »

Meh!!! 43k, if he hadn't have gotten it, the dáil bar would have.

Probably the stupidest thing i have seen on boards today. Well done.

NinjaTruncs

He wasn't the only one who got away without any jail time after defrauding the welfare

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/no-jail-and-600-fine-for-man-guilty-of-22k-welfare-fraud-594486.html

It's about time we bring in more secure ways for people to collect their welfare money, if the fraud was stamped out or substantially cut the honest recipients could get more, or wouldn't need cuts.

JRant

Odysseus wrote: »

Fcuk, that guy's life is so **** that I really can't see any p[oint in jailing him, 7 pervious ods. This guy needs help not jail.

Well said, it would be cheaper and a lot more benefical to society if people like this received treatment rather than punishment. It costs a lot more money to lock somebody up.

cee_jay

NinjaTruncs wrote: »

He wasn't the only one who got away without any jail time after defrauding the welfare

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/no-jail-and-600-fine-for-man-guilty-of-22k-welfare-fraud-594486.html

It's about time we bring in more secure ways for people to collect their welfare money, if the fraud was stamped out or substantially cut the honest recipients could get more, or wouldn't need cuts.

Or perhaps a less lenient system, that punishes people for committing fraud.
At the moment, how is paying back your overpayment from your social welfare payment (sometimes at €5 - €10 euro a week) a disincentive to commit fraud?

Scruffles

JRant wrote: »

Well said, it would be cheaper and a lot more benefical to society if people like this received treatment rather than punishment. It costs a lot more money to lock somebody up.

he shoud recieve forced inpatient treatment instead of prison but he shoud also be made to pay the debt back and still recieve punishment in some form-alcoholism is an addiction but its no excuse for comitting abuse or illegal acts;run of the mill alcoholics dont have limited mental capacity,pyschosis or no free will.

a good punishment woud be community service working in services that deal with the aftermath of acute alcoholism such as supporting people with alcohol related disease in palliative/end of life care,or being a cleaner in the local hospitals at nights after pub/club chuck out time-anything that can help bring home the consequence of binge drinking and alcoholism to an alcoholic is a good thing more than locking them up as it doesnt deal with the fact after they are forced through 'cold turkey' they will be missing a coping strategy they will have relied on for a long time.

Capt'n Midnight

0ph0rce0 wrote: »

Sounds like the guy i was talking about before, used to drink 3-5 liters of vodka a day.

Went to doctors when he was ill and doctor said if you stop drinking the vodka you will die so keep drinking it...madness.

if it's got to the stage that it's a physical addiction then yes you could die if you go cold turkey

Doesn't mean you have license go keep going, just means you have to wean yourself off it rather than a sudden stop.

Hootanany

NinjaTruncs wrote: »

He wasn't the only one who got away without any jail time after defrauding the welfare

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/no-jail-and-600-fine-for-man-guilty-of-22k-welfare-fraud-594486.html

It's about time we bring in more secure ways for people to collect their welfare money, if the fraud was stamped out or substantially cut the honest recipients could get more, or wouldn't need cuts.

Dole people should just get food stamps.

kingofslaves

Hootanany wrote: »

Dole people should just get food stamps.

and how would they pay for other things like electric, gas, transport, phone, etc ? stamps for all of them ?

Sergeant

Is this Martin 'The Viper' Foley? If so, it's not like it is his first time standing before a Judge.

mickdw

kingofslaves wrote: »

and how would they pay for other things like electric, gas, transport, phone, etc ? stamps for all of them ?

With the nixer money obviously.

Chuck Stone

Hootanany wrote: »

Dole people should just get food stamps.

They'd only become a different form of currency (bag of weed/heroin/crack for a box of nappies) and trying to prevent them becoming currency or trying to ensure SW money is spent on items deemed necessary would only be achieved by some fantastically complicated and monumentally costly state surveillance apparatus with well pensioned PbS workers.

So let's just park that idea shall we?

JustAThought

Bet hand other4 year dole cheat in cork who paid back her 43,000 to avoid gaol is pretty sick tonight -imagind -she too could have just paid 1,ooo and also got off Scott free.

Disgusting

Judges need a few solid months on the streets listening to ordinary peoples problems to re-focus their attentions.

Ridiculous.

RGDATA!

Sergeant wrote: »

Is this Martin 'The Viper' Foley? If so, it's not like it is his first time standing before a Judge.

you were probably joking but just in case - no it's not him

Hootanany

kingofslaves wrote: »

and how would they pay for other things like electric, gas, transport, phone, etc ? stamps for all of them ?

With stamps

gctest50

Scruffles wrote: »

...................alcoholism is an addiction but its no excuse for comitting abuse or illegal acts;run of the mill alcoholics dont have limited mental capacity,pyschosis or no free will......

Since that man was committing genocide on bottles of beer he may not have been at his best :

Symptoms of Korsakoff syndrome:

• Inability to form new memories
• Loss of memory, can be severe
• Making up stories (confabulation)
• Seeing or hearing things that aren't really there (hallucinations)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000771.htm

Doesn't sound like a bundle of joy.