Irish asphalt gang escapes prison after being convicted of fraud across France

Six Irishmen and two Latvians were involved in the scam, which tricked people into spending hundreds of thousands of euros on shoddy asphalt work.

The verdict from the Le Havre Criminal Court this week ends the lengthy investigation into the crimes that took place in various locations across France in 2011 and 2012.

At a hearing earlier this year when prosecutors took the case to court, the Irish men were described as five brothers and a cousin.

They are said to be members of a family with close links to Rathkeale in County Limerick Sunday world Sources.

Patrick Flynn, 34, from Cork, was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence after being found guilty of fraud, deception and black market activity, as well as money laundering.

Flynn, who had previously been extradited from Ireland, was acquitted of charges of fraud as part of an organized gang, which would have carried a 10-year sentence.

The prosecutor had asked for three years in prison with a suspended sentence for one year and a ban on the men entering France for 10 years, but all six were acquitted of the more serious charges.

Danny Flynn, 39, from Limerick, was given an eight-month ban for money laundering for “participating in an investment operation, concealing or converting the proceeds of a fraud committed by an organized gang”.

James Flynn, 36, from Cork, was found guilty of deceit “as to the nature, essential quality, origin or quantity of the goods” and completing the work “before the expiry of the cooling-off period”.

He was sentenced to an 18-month suspended sentence because he was accused of, among other things, black market work and money laundering.

Michael Flynn, 30, whose address was given in court documents as Tyrone, was given 18 months in prison for deception, black market work and completing work too early.

Robert Flynn, 43, from Limerick, was also sentenced to an 18-month ban for the same charges as well as money laundering.

Daniel Quilligan, 40, from Limerick, was given a one-year ban for 2011 fraud, deception and completing a job quickly.

The Criminal Court’s verdict involved 43 victims, including an Irish business and several individuals and companies.

Four victims were awarded damages of between 4,300 and 6,000 euros. Two Latvian members of the gang were given suspended sentences of six and 18 months respectively.

Authorities in Le Havre took the case to court earlier this year, where it emerged that the men had defrauded unsuspecting property owners.

They had agreed to carry out asphalt work but instead used a mix of concrete and gravel and proved impossible to find after fees were paid.

In the Pays de Caux on the coast of the English Channel, the police received several complaints about the poor work of a gang of planners by the end of February 2012.

Accounts

The eight defendants were scheduled to be tried in a two-day hearing in June, but none of them appeared in court in Le Havre

The case against the gang members then went to trial in July, hearing how they moved around different parts of France. According to local media reports, cash was deposited into accounts they opened in Le Havre or Montivilliers.

As they continued to travel, accounts were closed and new ones opened, with cash being transferred to accounts in Ireland and Latvia.

The case involved several hundred thousand euros and prosecutors demanded three years in prison for the Irish defendants, two of which were suspended.

They also asked the judge to impose a fine of 15,000 euros on each man and a 10-year ban from remaining on French territory.

It was also heard that several accused were tracked down and even detained for several days during the course of the case.

In 2022, an extradition request was heard in the High Court in Dublin after the public prosecutor’s office in Le Havre issued a European Arrest Warrant against Patrick Flynn.

It was heard that he and two other men sold new driveways “over the front door” to homeowners in western and southern France.

But his customers later claimed they had been deceived into agreeing to the new engines.

They also claimed that the quality of the work carried out was poor and that they could not locate the men later to seek refunds or repairs.

The court also heard the men were accused of starting the work almost immediately after their clients agreed to their offer and of failing to allow a “cooling off period” required under French law.

Prosecutors accuse the group of misinforming their customers that they would be using asphalt for the new driveways, when in fact the material used was a mix of “gravel and concrete.”

The companies through which the men made customer payments were fictitious, the lawyers continued, and the invoices they presented did not comply with French regulations.