Three Individuals Face Charges for Alleged €500,000 Fraud at Trinity College

Three people have appeared in court charged in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud almost a half a million euro from Trinity College's Student Hardship Fund.

Forty-six-year-old Helen Richardson from Beaupark Square in Clongriffin in Dublin, who worked as a student support officer at the college, is facing over a hundred theft and money laundering charges. She is accused of stealing and transferring sums of between €1,550 and €3,000, 102 times, on different dates over a two-year period between 2021 and 2022. The money was allegedly from Trinity College’s Student Hardship Fund. The alleged offences are contrary to the Criminal Justice Theft and the Criminal Justice Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Acts.

Det Garda Joseph Heaphy from Pearse Street Garda Station told the court that he arrested Helen Richardson at her home in Beaupark Square this morning. She was granted free legal aid and remanded on bail for service of the Book of Evidence in October. Judge Paula Murphy directed as part of her bail conditions that Ms Richardson was not to have any contact with any witnesses or her other two co-accused. They are 33-year-old Luke Taffe from Brookwood Avenue in Artane and 45-year-old Daniel Dwyer from Edenmore Avenue in Dublin 5.

Luke Taffe is facing 20 charges of converting, transferring, handling, acquiring, possessing or using property that is the proceeds of criminal conduct from the Student Hardship Fund of Trinity College Dublin while knowing it was the proceeds of criminal conduct. One of the charges relates to a sum of €1,550 on 22 December 2020 and is contrary to the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing) Act.

Daniel Dwyer is also facing 14 similar charges of converting, transferring, handling, acquiring, possessing or using property that is the proceeds of criminal conduct, from the Student Hardship Fund of Trinity College Dublin while also knowing it was the proceeds of criminal conduct. One of the charges he faces relates to the movement of €15,590 at The Central Bank of Ireland in the Irish Financial Services Centre IFSC on the 7 September 2021. Judge Murphy also remanded Luke Taffe and Daniel Dwyer on bail to appear again before the Dublin district court in October for service of a book of evidence.

According to the source: RTE.ie.