Midleton man charged with pandemic fraud

A 35 year old man has been remanded on bail after he was charged with a series of fraud offences including two counts of stealing almost €15,000 in false Pandemic Unemployment Payments from the Dept of Social Protection.

Oluwagbewikeke Lewis with an address at Brookdale, Midleton, Co Cork was charged with a total of 15 different fraud offences when he was brought by gardai before Judge Marie Keane at Midleton District Court on Thursday.

Mr Lewis was charged by Det Garda Trevor Conroy with two counts of falsely claiming Pandemic Employment Payments from the Dept of Social Protection, Aras Mhic Diarmaida, Store Street, Dublin 1, contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences)Act 2001.

One charge alleges that Mr Lewis falsely obtained a Pandemic Unemployment Payment of €8,778 between May 19^th and December 15^th 2020 while the other charge alleges that he falsely obtained a Pandemic Unemployment Payment of €6,104 between May 19^th and November 3^rd 2020.

Mr Lewis was also charged by Det Garda Conroy, on secondment to the Dept of Social Protection, with one count of using a false Public Services No and one count of using a false UK passport at Neylon Facilities Management, Caherlevane Business, Park, Athenry Road, Galway on July 4^th 2019.

He was also charged by Det Garda Eimear Keeshan with possessing a stolen passport at his home at Brookdale, Midleton on November 13^th 2020 and with three counts of possessing a false passport at unknown locations on February 14^th 2019, August 28^th 2020 and September 5^th 2020.

Mr Lewis was also charged by Det Garda Keeshan of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau with a further three separate counts of possessing false Permanent TSB Bank statements at his home address at Brookdale, Midleton on November 13^th 2020.

And Mr Lewis was charged by Det Garda Kieran Crowley of Midleton Garda Station with two counts of possessing a false passport at Ballyvodock, Midleton on November 6^th 2020 and two counts of possessing false Permanent TSB statements at the same address on the same date.

Sgt Claire Miskella told the court that the investigation was a very complex one and she sought an adjournment of one month for the DPP’s directions in relation to eleven of the charges brought by Det Garda Conroy and Det Garda Keeshan.

Gardai had already received DPP’s directions in relation to the charges brought by Det Garda Crowley and they were to the effect that the matter should be sent forward for trial by indictment at circuit court level and she sought a two week adjournment in relation to these charges.

She said that gardai had no objection to bail and defence solicitor, Joe Cuddigan said that his client was agreeable to the conditions being sought by gardai while he also applied for free legal aid for his client as he was a man of little means.

Judge Marie Keane remanded Mr Lewis on his own bond of €200 to appear again at Midleton District Court on March 25^th on the charges brought by Det Garda Crowley and to appear again at Midleton District Court on 15^th April on the remaining eleven charges.

She made it a condition of Mr Lewis’s bail that he sign on daily at Midleton Garda Station, that he reside at his home address and notify gardai of any change of address, that he surrender his passport and that he provide gardai with a phone number on which he can be contacted 24/7.