A 43-year-old man who made almost €500,000 from selling false insurance policies and no-claims bonuses has been jailed for five years.
Egidijus Aleliunas, from the Paddocks Way, Adamstown in Lucan, pleaded guilty to money laundering, deception and fraud offences over a seven year period.
He set up hundreds of fraudulent insurance policies for people who could not get insurance or wanted it cheaper and spent some of the money on cars, cryptocurrency and watches.
His wife Anastasija Pavlova, and mother- and father-in-law Natalja Pavlova and Viaceslav Pavlov laundered between €18,000 and €20,000 for him and were all given a two-year suspended sentence.
Gardaí put the value of the scam at €4 million.
Egidijus Aleliunas came to Ireland from Lithuania in 2004 and worked as a security guard and in cyber security.
However he set himself up as a so-called "ghost broker" and sold legitimate insurance policies based on false information and fraudulent no-claims bonuses which he forged using his own.
He advertised "cheap insurance" in Lithuanian on Facebook and sold policies to people who could not get it or wanted it a lot cheaper than the quotes they got.
Aleliunas bought the policies online for real people with real addresses and cars but with false information about drivers' licences, addresses, employment details and no-claims bonuses.
He then charged them a service fee, as much as €1,000, and also operated under the name Thomas Vudkas.
He had 11 bank accounts and while some customers lodged payments to them, most paid in cash.
Seven insurance companies and brokers were defrauded over the seven years between 2010 and 2017.
It was only when Aviva noticed that multiple no-claims bonus documents were signed by the same person BC, who had only ever issued one of these documents, and that was to Aleliunas, that gardaí were called in.
The same forged documents were also found at Allianz, First Ireland, Liberty Insurance and others. He was linked to at least 236 policies.
Even though the insurance companies cancelled the suspicious policies, they also refunded the money paid in full, even if there was only a short time left on it, back to Aleliunas. If his clients complained their insurance had been cancelled, he simply set up another false policy for them with a different insurer, ensuring he lost no money and could continue the scam.
Detective Sergeant John Carey from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau said they seized €182,000 in four bank accounts, €50,000 in cryptocurrency, eight cars, six watches, €4,000 in cash and identified another €80,000 in crypto which Aleliunas invested in Dubai.
He challenged the orders freezing his bank accounts and made revenue returns claiming he earned €190,000 in crypto investments.
He also got his wife Anastasija Pavlova, and her parents Natalja Pavlova and Viaceslav Pavlov, to launder some of the money - between €18,000 and €20,000 each.
They also came to Ireland from Lithuania. His wife is a mother of two who set up and runs her own beautician business in Lucan and although she is now a convicted money launderer, the judge agreed not to disqualify her as a director because it would close her business.
All three were given a two-year suspended sentence.
Judge Martin Nolan said Aleliunas who came up with the scam accumulated a lot of wealth and probably "a lot more" than the bank accounts, cash, cars, crypto and watches that gardaí identified.
He was he said "a serious and industrious man" with a good work history and no previous convictions who he believed could change and "become a good member of society".
He made a lot of money out of criminal activity working for himself, with no involvement in organised crime.
He sentenced the 43-year-old to five years in prison.
