A serial fraudster with a history of stealing thousands of euro from her employers has received a three-year sentence for misappropriating over €78,000 from a Blanchardstown company.
Ann Levins (36), Glenmore Drive, Drogheda, Co Louth, pleaded guilty to seven sample charges from an indictment which listed 98 counts of various frauds she committed while a temporary employee at Celerity Fluid Systems Limited, Ballycoolin Business Park, Blanchardstown, Dublin, on dates between April 2003 and February 2004.
Judge Desmond Hogan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court suspended the final year of the sentence which will be served concurrently with an earlier two-year sentence for theft of over €64,000 from the European Commission's Dublin office where she had been placed as a temporary employee by an agency in 2001.
Judge Hogan heard that Levins used money stolen from Celerity Fluid Systems to pay compensation to the European Commission. She has four previous convictions for similar offences dating back to 1997 and made a pattern out of "robbing Peter to pay Paul".
Judge Hogan described Levins's crimes as a "great breach of trust" and was concerned that the court had earlier been "misled" as to the source of the funds used to repay the European Commission.
Martina Baxter BL, prosecuting, told Judge Hogan that the 98 charges before the court included counts of theft, forgery, using a false instrument and making gains by deception.
Det Garda Séan Caffey told Ms Baxter that Levins used forged cheques, bank drafts and stolen credit cards to pay her own expenses. She spent thousands on phone bills to tarot and psychic lines as well as a mortgage payment of over €24,000. The single mother of one also spent money on shopping, restaurants and hairdressers. When confronted by gardaí, Levins made full admissions.
A complaint was made by the company to gardaí in March 2004 after suspicion was aroused by a cheque of €1,385 made payable to Levins. She was dismissed after the company received a tip-off that she had a conviction for defrauding a previous employer.
Det Garda Caffey said Levins was employed in the accounts payable and receivable section of the company and had free access to cheque books. She took a former director's company credit card from a drawer and ordered a new card in his name as the old one had been cut in two, then intercepted the post and used the card for her own purposes.
Mr Gillane said his client was "a troubled woman" and suffered from an addiction which she was attempting to deal with in prison. He was instructed to offer her "sincere regret" and described her behaviour as a "deeply shameful" period of her life.