BELFAST, Ireland — Two Zimbabwean men discovered in a north Belfast flat, which was being used as a counterfeiting factory, have been jailed for their roles in the enterprise.
The factory was capable of producing fake cheques, bank and credit cards which had either been previously lost, stolen, or not taken from the post.
Judge Donna McColgan QC told Geshem Madzukae (39) and Charles Moyo (50) that she had concluded “this was a sophisticated and organised criminal endeavour for financial gain. It would be naive to consider is it anything other than that”.
Moyo, from Lisnagarvey Drive in Lisburn, was handed a two-year sentence and he will spend 12 months in custody with the remaining 12 months of the sentence spent on supervised licence upon his release from custody.
His co-accused Madzukae from Cliftonville Avenue — who has a previous conviction for fraud — was handed a three-year sentence.
He will spend half the sentence in prison and the other half on supervised licence.
Belfast Crown Court had heard that the pair, who admitted receiving stolen goods and possessing articles in connection with fraud, were arrested during a planned police search of the Cliftonville Avenue flat they both shared, on November 29 2012.
Prosecutor Tessa Kitson said the pair had named another man who they said owned all the materials in the flat, which they claimed, they had innocently touched while cleaning the apartment.
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However, the claims were dismissed by the court.
Moyo accepted that he owned some of the computer equipment, the mobile phones and memory sticks and a keypad, some of which was also discovered in his 3 series BMW parked outside the flat.
Passing sentence, Judge McColgan said: “Credit card fraud is rife and causes massive losses and undermines public confidence in the system.” — Irish Mirror
