Organised €14 million 'darknet' crypto crime trial set for Dublin man (25)
Tom Tuite
A Dublin man has been sent forward for trial accused of aiding a "darknet" criminal organisation to launder €14 million in cryptocurrency.
Kevin Daniel Andrei, 25, of Drynam Avenue, Swords, was charged in August last year with three counts of possessing close to €600,000 in crime earnings under Section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing) Act.
The case follows a Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau (GNCCB) probe.
Subsequently, he was further charged with two extra offences: money laundering involving another €13,745,756 in alleged proceeds of criminal conduct and facilitating "darknet market" organised crime.
Detective Ciaran Byrne said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed trial on indictment.
He had been granted bail and appeared again at Dublin District Court on Friday when Detective Garda Byrne served him with a book of evidence.
Judge Gerard Jones acceded to a request from State solicitor Brian Coveney to grant a return-for-trial order, sending the case forward for trial to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, which has greater sentencing powers. It will be listed for mention on October 16th next.
Defence solicitor Kate McGhee successfully applied for legal aid to include junior and senior counsel representation.
Mr Andrei, yet to indicate a plea, was warned by the judge to notify the prosecution within 14 days if he intends to use an alibi. The GNCCB officers must also furnish the defence with copies of interview videos.
In the original three charges, he was accused of "concealing and disguising the true nature and source of 65 Wirex transactions" totalling €22,049 between March 3rd, 2021, and September 5th, 2022, at various locations.
According to another charge, between February 26th, 2021, and February 26th, 2024, he engaged in "concealing and disguising the true nature and source of 1,822 Revolut transactions that were the proceeds of criminal conduct," valued at €227,429.
The third claims he disguised the true nature and source of 422 separate Binance transactions worth €341,959 between March 21st, 2021, and December 20th, 2023, at various locations in Ireland.
The extra two charges were added to the case in May at the direction of the DPP.
He has surrendered his passport and is required to sign on three days a week at his local Garda station. He must not apply for a replacement passport or new travel documents, and he must reside at his current address and be contactable at all times.
Mr Andrei has also been warned "not to carry out any cryptocurrency transactions" or comment about the case on public forums, including social media.
