Convicted heroin dealer Regina Felloni, daughter of the imprisoned dealer Tony Felloni, made cash lodgements of over £200,000 into bank accounts while claiming social welfare, it was alleged in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The court also heard that Tony, Regina and her brother Luigi Felloni had £155,513 in sterling accounts in Britain uncovered last year by gardai. Regina and her grandfather are also said to have bought a house in Finglas for over £46,000 in cash.
The details emerged during an application by the DPP to seize the assets of Tony Felloni, his daughter Regina, and son Luigi, all of whom are serving prison sentences for supplying heroin.
Peter Charleton SC, for the DPP, told Judge Raymond Groarke that on March 21st, 1997, documents relating to bank accounts held by Regina Felloni in Northern Ireland were given anonymously to gardai. There were also details of six bank drafts worth £19,397 sterling made payable to Regina Felloni.
On October 16th, 1997, restraint orders were granted in Northern Ireland and England on a number of bank accounts held by all three. In total, £115,513 sterling was uncovered in their names. Mr Charleton said that in affadavits to the High Court in an application for legal aid, all three admitted owning the money but believed it had been frozen by an earlier High Court order.
Mr Charleton also said that Tony Felloni's assets in the Republic included an Irish Permanent Building Society account in the name of Anthony Carroll, his original name, which contained £153,703 in 1992. Regina Felloni held an account in the Bank of Ireland, Rotunda branch, Dublin, which holds £68,995.
She also held £24,368 in an AIB account and £18,510 in a building society account. Also, she and her grandfather were joint owners of a house worth £46,500.
Mr Dermot Kelly BL, counsel for Tony Felloni, and Mr Ciaran O'Loughlin SC, for Regina Felloni, said their clients should have been furnished with a copy of all evidence to be presented to the court as the proceeding was essentially a continuation of the original criminal cases.
Judge Raymond Grouke said the case arose in the course of a criminal conviction but did not form part of it.
The hearing continues.