A woman who previously claimed that she had purchased a home in Portlaoise mortgage-free due to her earnings working as a cleaner, childminder, and escort in Australia pleaded guilty to providing false information to the Passport Office.
Mother of three, Mary Cash (35), who has three previous convictions for money laundering, pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 21A of the Passport Act 2008 after she purchased a copy of a birth certificate belonging to another person to assist her now on-the-run husband, Andrew Cash Jr, in obtaining an Irish passport in another name.
Mr Justice Alexander Ownes previously commented on her ‘lavish lifestyle’ during a hearing related to the seizure of her former home by the Criminal Assets Bureau after it was deemed to have been purchased with the proceeds of crime.
Justice Owens said that there was “not a scratch of information” on how the woman’s “exotic lifestyle” was funded, nor how she could afford so many handbags and “various items of bling”.
The “settled traveller” appeared before the Circuit Criminal Court this morning with her co-accused and father-in-law, Andrew Cash Snr (58).
Judge Roderick Maguire heard that her husband, who fled the jurisdiction in order to evade being brought to justice, and a Garda Sergeant are the two remaining accused on the indictment.
Detective Sergeant Padraic Jennings agreed with prosecuting counsel, Shaun Smyth BL, that suspicions were raised at the Balbriggan Passport Office after an application was lodged in the name of a Mr Martin Connors.
Staff became suspicious that the photograph submitted was not correct, and internal investigations revealed that the photo was a match for Andrew Cash Jr.
The application lodged on the 12th of June 2019 had been stamped by a Garda Sergeant who is one of the four accused and has taken a trial date in respect of the proceedings.
After an investigation, communication between the Sergeant and Mr Cash Snr was discovered, including calls from Mr Cash to the Sergeant on the day the application was stamped.
Mr Smyth outlined how the sergeant in question had “interceded” on behalf of Cash Jr., who had a number of bench warrants outstanding in respect of him, so that they would be executed in a “benign” manner.
Mary Cash, who has 10 previous convictions, travelled to Sligo General Office, where she used the name ‘Mary Connors’ to purchase the birth certificate of Martin Connors. The court heard that identification does not need to be produced to make the purchase, nor is it a requirement that the application be made in the subject’s home county.
Mr Smyth said that bank statements had placed Ms Cash in Sligo at the time the document was purchased, and that she had sent her husband a text saying “Got it” on that date.
Mr Cash Snr has 31 previous convictions in total for various offences, including burglary, theft, larceny, possession of stolen goods, entering a building with intent, trespass, public order offences, and road traffic offences.
Ms Cash’s defending counsel, Colman FitzGerald SC, argued that his client had played a small role in the scheme and that she was doing what her husband had asked her to do.
Detective Sergeant Jennings agreed that Ms Cash is now on her own, saying she is “fending for herself as her husband is currently on the run outside this jurisdiction.”
Defending counsel, Timothy O’Leary SC, argued that Mr Cash Snr is a “member of the travelling community” and that, “He can’t read, he can sign his name.” He said his client has “basically zero education” and was “effectively settled, travellers”.
He said that a psychological report had indicated that his client met the criteria for PTSD and that his father had been violent towards him when he was a child.
He has no formal work history “in the ordinary sense” but had engaged in work on his halting site, the court heard.
Mr FitzGerald argued that her client was now responsible for six children, three of her own, and the three children of her late sister, who died in tragic circumstances. He argued that she had been separated from her husband since around 2024.
When Mr FitzGerald emphasised that his client now “has very considerable responsibilities” with respect to the six children in her care, Judge Maguire countered, “She had considerable responsibilities six years ago as well.”
Having heard the facts, he adjourned sentencing to the 24th of April to allow the court to consider the matter.