New mum money mule gets community service after pleading guilty in court

A new mother has been ordered to community service for money laundering.

Money mule Sentebaleng Selebalo was spared prison when she appeared before Letterkenny Circuit Court.

Judge John Aylmer said that he considered such charges to be serious and imposed 240 hours of community service.

Selebalo, a 30-year-old whose address was given as Clonard Park, Ballybeg, Waterford - but who has recently moved to Clare - pleaded guilty to a charge that on June 26, 2020, at a place within the State, converted, transferred, handled, acquired, possessed or used the property, namely €2,015 in a Revolut account in her name knowing that or was reckless to whether or not the property was the proceeds of criminal conduct.

Sergeant Maurice Doyle told Mr Donal Keane BL that Selebalo, who is originally from South Africa, opened a Revolut account on June 12, 2020.

On June 26, €15 was transferred from a card and four further transfers, each of €500, were made later the same day.

Three days later, €1,750 was transferred to another account, while €260 was moved to a banking circle. After the remaining €5 was spent in Tesco, the account was closed on July 3, 2020.

Selebalo told gardai that she was unaware that there was money coming through the account, but admitted that the account was hers.

Sergeant Doyle told the court that Selebalo was a small part of a wider investigation. “She was a very minor part of a much larger investigation,” he told Judge John Aylmer.

It emerged during the investigation that a brother of Selebalo’s ex-partner, who was part of a wider probe into the activity, had benefited from the transfer of €1,750.

Bar the €5 spent in Tesco, Selebalo did not have any financial gain out of the incident Ms Fiona Crawford BL, barrister for the accused, said.

“She didn’t in any way duck or dive,” Ms Crawford said. “She pleaded guilty in June on a full facts basis.”

Selebalo was on Jobseeker’s benefit at the time and she has since separated with the man in question. Selebalo is in a new relationship and gave birth in December 2022.

Ms Crawford outlined that Selebalo has managed to put money aside and has saved up €2,015 which she was willing to donate to charity. Ms Crawford said this showed the ‘embarrassment and shame’ the matter had caused Selebalo.

The Probation Service deemed her a low risk of reoffending and she has not come to adverse garda attention before or since.

Judge Aylmer said it was through recklessness that Selebalo allowed the Revolut account to be used by her partner and hence how his brother came to benefit from the money that was passed through her account.

While placing the offence on the lower end of the scale, Judge Aylmer said it still merited a custodial sentence of 18 months before considering the mitigating factors.

Selebalo, Judge Aylmer said, is a young woman without any previous or subsequent convictions who entered an early plea.

“It appears that she had no knowledge of what was going on and she was as cooperative as could be,” Judge Aylmer said. “It is clear that she is remorseful, embarrassed and very anxious about the situation.”

Judge Aylmer said Selebalo is a young mother who has modest circumstances.

Judge Aylmer said it was appropriate to deal with the matter on a non-custodial basis and imposed 240 hours of community service in lieu of 12 months imprisonment. Selebalo was given 12 months for the community service to be completed. The €2,015 is to be given to the local branch of St Vincent de Paul.