Two men plead guilty after large-scale human trafficking probe

Stephen Maguire

Two men have appeared in court in Co Donegal, where they have pleaded guilty to a total of 20 charges arising out of a large-scale people trafficking investigation.

Eastern Europeans Georgijs Poniza, 37, and Armen Pogosyan, 32, appeared at Donegal Circuit Court, where both were due to stand trial on a number of charges.

A large number of witnesses, including gardaí, had been scheduled to give evidence in the trial, which was due to last up to six weeks before Judge Jonathan Dunphy.

The case centres around the trafficking of people who were brought into the country to work at a business in south Donegal.

However, just before the trial was due to commence, both accused men changed their pleas to guilty on a number of the charges.

Both men have addresses at Assaroe Falls in Ballyshannon but have been detained in prison after they were arrested by gardaí two years ago.

The charges to which the accused have pleaded include six different counts of people trafficking on various dates for each.

The pair also each pleaded guilty to four other charges relating to money laundering and forgery.

The accused men were both arraigned separately on all charges and pleaded guilty before a jury of 12 people at Letterkenny Courthouse earlier on Wednesday.

The first to plead was Pogosyan, who simply replied 'guilty' after each charge was put to him.

Pogosyan is an Armenian national with an Uzbekistan passport.

After a lunchtime recess, Poniza's legal counsel then told the court that he too wished to plead guilty to 10 charges.

Poniza is a Latvian national.

Both are charged that between December 11th, 2020, and April 8th, 2022, with the State, they trafficked another person namely Alexander Agapovs for the purpose of the exploitation of Alexander Agapovs, and in and for the purpose of trafficking him, coerced, threatened or otherwise used force against him, or deceived him, or took advantage of his vulnerability to such an extent as to cause him to have no real and acceptable alternative but to submit to being trafficked.

The pair are also charged that between December 18th, 2020 and June 5th, 2022, with the State, he trafficked another person namely Ivars Bogdans for the purpose of the exploitation of Ivar Bogdans, and in and for the purpose of trafficking him, coerced, threatened or otherwise used force against him, or deceived him, or took advantage of his vulnerability to such an extent as to cause him to have no real and acceptable alternative but to submit to being trafficked.

They also pleaded guilty that between December 20th, 2021, and June 5th, 2022, with the State, he trafficked another person namely Jevgenijs Magdilevics for the purpose of the exploitation of Jevgenijs Magdilevics, and in and for the purpose of trafficking him, coerced, threatened or otherwise used force against him, or deceived him, or took advantage of his vulnerability to such an extent as to cause him to have no real and acceptable alternative but to submit to being trafficked.

They are also charged that between March 22nd, 2022, and May 1st, 2023, with the State, he trafficked another person namely Ivo Indrums for the purpose of the exploitation of Ivo Indrums, and in and for the purpose of trafficking him, coerced, threatened or otherwise used force against him, or deceived him, or took advantage of his vulnerability to such an extent as to cause him to have no real and acceptable alternative but to submit to being trafficked.

They also pleaded that between June 22nd, 2022, and October 24th, 2023, with the State, he trafficked another person namely Mariss Liepens for the purpose of the exploitation of Mariss Liepens, and in and for the purpose of trafficking her, coerced, threatened or otherwise used force against her, or deceived her, or took advantage of her vulnerability to such an extent as to cause her to have no real and acceptable alternative but to submit to being trafficked.

They are also charged that between March 22nd, 2022, and April 15th, 2023, with the State, he trafficked another person namely Iva Lepeniceva for the purpose of the exploitation of Iva Lepeniceva, and in and for the purpose of trafficking her, coerced, threatened or otherwise used force against her, or deceived her, or took advantage of her vulnerability to such an extent as to cause herto have no real and acceptable alternative but to submit to being trafficked.

As well as the people trafficking charges, Pogosyan and Poniza, also pleaded to money laundering and forgery charges.

They were charged that between March 19th, 2021, and January 28th, 2022, at Bank of Ireland in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, they engaged in transferring, handling, acquiring, possessing or using property, namely the sum of €135,781.82 or thereabouts that was the proceeds of criminal conduct while knowing or believing or being reckless as to whether of not the said property was the proceeds of criminal conduct.

The pair are also charged that on an unknown date, they made a false instrument, namely an Electric Ireland utility bill in the name of Mariss Liepins with the intent to induce another person to accept it as genuine, and to do some act to the prejudice of that person or any other person.

They are also charged that on January 11th, 2023, used an instrument, namely an Electric Ireland utility bill in the name of Mariss Liepens to open an An Post account, which was a false instrument, knowing or believing it to be a false instrument with the intention of inducing some person to accept it as genuine and, by reason of so accepting it, to do some act or make some omission or to provide some service to the prejudice of that person or any othr person.

Pogosyan and Poniza are also charged that between June 20th, 2023, and July 16th, 2023, they dishonestly by deception induced Avant Money DAC to do an act, namely to open a credit card account in the name of Mariss Liepens, with the intention of making a gain for himself or another, or causing a loss to another.

Pogosyan is represented by Fergal Kavanagh, SC and by Pat O'Sullivan, BL, instructed by solicitor Morgan Coleman.

Poniza is represented by Delia Flynn, SC, with Kathleen Henry, BL and Ernest Smith, BL.

The State is represented by prosecutor Patricia McLaughlin, SC, with Fiona Crawford, BL instructed by Donegal state solicitor, Kieran Dillon.

Judge Jonathan Dunphy instructed that governor's reports be compiled on each accused as well as Probation and Welfare reports.

Both men were remanded in custody and both cases were adjourned for mention to the next sitting of Donegal Circuit Court on December 9th.