Man claimed pandemic payment under false identity while avoiding trafficking arrest
A Lithuanian man hiding from a crime gang and extradition over human trafficking allegations was tracked down through Department of Social Protection facial recognition technology, a court has heard.
Darius Musinskas (56), who was later acquitted of people smuggling, had unlawfully claimed €17,000 from the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) under an assumed identity.
Judge Keenan Johnson imposed a three-year suspended sentence and ordered Musinskas to pay €9,300 at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court.
Factory worker Musinskas, of Oliver Plunkett Park, Dundalk, Co Louth, pleaded guilty to theft and using a false instrument between April 2020 and April 2021.
In evidence, Garda James Donaldson said the social welfare office’s anti-fraud facial recognition measures led to a “match” of two images of the accused under separate names.
He used a doctored Lithuanian identity card to apply for a PPS number under his alias in 2018 and claimed to be renting a home in Kinnegad, Co…
We’ve summarized this news for a quick read. If you’re interested, you can read the full article here:
If you find this site helpful, share it with your friends!