Woman gave €7,832 ‘overpayments’ of wages to herself in new role with charity

A woman who stole from the charity she worked for within two months of taking on the new role has been given a 12-month suspended sentence, reports Sonya McLean.

Denise McGreevy (32) of The Crescent Building, Parkwest,  pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to theft of €7,832, comprising overpayments of wages, on dates between October 3 and November 11, 2022.

Garda Jason O’Carroll told Aideen Collard BL, prosecuting, that McGreevy had responsibility for accounts and payroll of the 12 staff who worked for the charity.

He said she contacted her boss on November 25, 2022, claiming that she had “mistakenly” made two overpayments of her salary to herself.

There were in fact four overpayments, including one that was made on September 30, 2022 which was immediately reversed.

Ms Collard described this payment as akin to “a dry run” for McGreevy.

McGreevy paid back the money and was fired by the charity in March 2023. It was later discovered that there was also an “irregularity” in petty cash, which McGreevy has also repaid.

Garda O’Carroll said that McGreevy blamed a “user error on the system” but a garda investigation into her bank account showed that she was aware of the overpayment and showed the cash moving between accounts.

Ms Collard handed a victim-impact statement into the court but it was not read out. Counsel said the offence had a negative impact on the charity’s “reputation and governance”.

The court heard that McGreevy still maintains that the overpayments were mistakes.

Garda O’Carroll agreed with Garrett Casey BL, defending, that McGreevy “informed her employer of the overpayment”.

Judge Orla Crowe said McGreevy had made “limited admissions” and had made the first overpayment within three weeks of taking on the role.

She said the offence represented “a huge breach of trust” for a charity that does so much for everyone in society.

“Anybody who deals with payroll is in a position of trust and she immediately abused that trust,” the judge said.

Judge Crowe acknowledged that McGreevy has no previous convictions before she imposed a 12-month sentence which she suspended in full on strict conditions.