Sunday 1 November 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 22146Fraud · Co. Donegal

Eight employees plead guilty to fraud over €65,000 in Covid illness benefit payments

Eight employees at a company in County Donegal, all resident in Derry, Northern Ireland, pleaded guilty to fraud at Buncrana District Court after exploiting a loophole to claim Enhanced Illness Benefit while still working, defrauding the Government of over €65,000 between March 2020 and December 2021.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In courtnot reported
  5. Verdictnot reported
  6. Sentenced1 Mar
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
20 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatEight employees at a company in Co Donegal pleaded guilty to fraud (rte.ie)
  • whatThey exploited a loophole to print off their own Covid-19 certificates (rte.ie)
  • whatThey defrauded more than €65,000 from the Government (rte.ie)
  • whatThirty-four employees made dozens of illegal Enhanced Illness Benefit claims while still working and claiming full salaries (rte.ie)
  • whatThey received €350 per week under the Enhanced Illness Benefit scheme while claiming full salaries (rte.ie)
  • whatThe Enhanced Illness Benefit rate was €350 per week instead of the normal €208 (rte.ie)
  • whatThe illegal claims ranged from just over €290 to almost €5,000 (rte.ie)
  • whatThe total overpayment was €65,113.48 (rte.ie)
  • whatThey used the NHS website to print certificates of self-isolation (rte.ie)
  • whereThe eight employees were all resident in Derry (rte.ie)
  • whenThe claims were made between March 2020 and December 2021 (rte.ie)
  • investigationThe fraud was detected when staff in the Control Section spotted an unusual increase in claims (rte.ie)
  • investigationThe investigation was conducted by inspectors in the Inishowen Special Investigation Unit (rte.ie)
  • courtThe Department of Social Protection imposed a cut-off point of €1,000 overpayment value, leaving 15 employees under investigation (rte.ie)
  • courtNine cases are being pursued through the courts, with eight pleading guilty and one summons not yet served (rte.ie)
  • courtThey appeared before Buncrana District Court where they pleaded guilty (rte.ie)
  • courtJudge Éiteáin Cunningham accepted the pleas and issued fines after hearing payment plans were in place (rte.ie)
  • otherThe company where the employees worked knew nothing of the scam and cooperated fully (rte.ie)
  • otherThe scam spread when one employee told fellow workers about the loophole during canteen breaks (rte.ie)
  • otherThe Department of Social Protection has opened files on other possible similar breaches by employees of companies along the border (rte.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 1 Mar2023
    Sentencedrte.ie, first report
    Employees plead guilty over Covid illness payments

    Reports the guilty pleas and sentencing of eight employees for fraudulently claiming Enhanced Illness Benefit; Judge Cunningham expressed displeasure and fines were issued with payment plans in place. A ninth employee's summons has not yet been served.

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