A business student who used a sophisticated device to override a credit card machine to steal €2,550 worth of clothing has been jailed for four months.
Raphael Momoh of Fitzwilliam Crescent, Tallaght, Dublin, pleaded guilty under the Theft and Fraud Offences Act to stealing the clothing from Evolve Menswear in Letterkenny, Co Donegal.
The 28-year-old father-of-three was caught by Gardaí after a painstaking investigation tracked down Momoh and other men.
Letterkenny District Court was told that Momoh placed his mobile phone beside a credit card machine when making the transactions.
Garda Inspector Michael Harrison explained how an app on the phone instructed the credit card machine to authorise a signature payment for the goods.
Two transactions, one for €1,307.50 on July 11, 2018, and another for €1,250 the following day on July 12, 2018, were made using various credit cards.
On July 12, a staff member from Evolve Menswear contacted Gardaí to say a fraud had taken place and CCTV footage was viewed.
The suspects, including Momoh, were identified and a search was launched for the men. An operation identified the men's car in Creeslough and the men were arrested.
Most of the clothing was recovered in the car as well as a number of payment cards.
The court was told that Momoh admitted using bitcoin to purchase the fraudulent credit card numbers online.
Barrister for Momoh, Mr Patrick O'Sullivan, said his client held his hands up to the crime from the start.
Although born in London, Momoh has been living in Ireland since he was 10 and works on an irregular basis in office administration.
He had enrolled to undertake a degree in business and psychology and is hoping to take up that course soon.
"He is certainly not going to put himself in a situation where he is going to get involved in something like this again. His time away from home and from his children has been difficult for him," said Mr O'Sullivan.
Judge Paul Kelly said this was a hugely sophisticated and well-organised crime which left the shop with a considerable loss.
"He was well aware of what he was doing and what he was getting himself into," he added.
He jailed Momoh for four months on each of the two charges to run concurrently and backdated the sentence to when the accused went into custody on July 4 last, meaning he was free to go.