The former financial controller of a Dublin credit union has been jailed for three years for stealing almost 1.7 million euro from the branch.
Paul O'Brien of Valley Park Road, Finglas in Dublin admitted stealing the money to feed his gambling addiction.
Paul O’Brien used to work as a financial controller at Finglas Credit Union, but has been out of work since he was caught stealing from the branch.
Over a seven year period beginning in February 2005, he stole almost €1.7m by taking out bogus loans and stealing cheques.
He used the money to fund a “severe gambling problem” and he also used it to pay his mortgage or credit card bills on a few occasions.
An investigation was launched following an audit in May 2012, and the married father of three was eventually taken in for questioning.
Judge Nolan noted the large presence of family and friends in court today, and described O’Brien as a “good man who went completely astray”.
However, he said he had to mark the seriousness of what he did with a custodial sentence and jailed him for three years.
