Man pleads guilty to renting properties in the Midlands for use as brothels

A man who rented out properties across rural Ireland, including in the Midlands, under false pretences and used them as brothels was found with child abuse material on his phone when arrested at Dublin Airport.

Ilamar Rodrigues Ribeiro (54) was arrested by investigating gardai from the Garda Human Trafficking and Co-ordination Unit when he returned to Ireland from his native Brazil after a period of time abroad, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

Ribeiro, of Rua Nely Augusta Gomes, Goais, Brazil, had been under investigation after a number of rental properties being used as brothels around the country were linked to him, along with nearly €800,000 in proceeds of crime across multiple Irish bank accounts.

He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 19 sample counts, including using false instruments, inducing landlords to rent properties to him and possession of the proceeds of crime.

He also pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material, known in law as child pornography, on his phone when he was arrested at Dublin Airport on November 16, 2023.

The offending on the 60-count indictment spanned from 2010 to 2023, the court heard. Ribeiro has been in custody since his arrest.

Detective Garda Vanessa Stafford of the Garda Human Trafficking and Co-ordination Unit told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, that the charges against Ribeiro were part of a wider investigation after two women came forward to gardaí with allegations of trafficking.

These two women identified some rental properties around rural Ireland which were being used as brothels while others were linked to Ribeiro's email address and phone number, the court heard.

When investigating gardaí knocked on the doors of some of these properties, the women who answered identified themselves as sex workers, the court heard.

Gardaí linked 10 rental properties to Ribeiro, who used a different name from a fake Italian passport and fake utility bills to rent out the property from unsuspecting landlords and, in one case, a property agent.

The court heard the landlords told gardaí that they would never have rented the property to Ribeiro if they had known what it would be used for.

The properties which were used as brothels were located in Longford town, Kildare town, Ballyconnell in Co Cavan, Enniscorthy in Co Wexford, Ballymahon in Co Longford, Ballaghadereen in Co Roscommon, Carrick on Shannon in Co Leitrim, and Tullow, Co Carlow. A further two were located in Roscommon town.

The properties were rented out for varying periods of time between 2018 and 2023.

Bank accounts in Ribeiro's name or under his control were forensically analysed and found to contain a total of €788,982 which was deemed to be the proceeds of crime.

The court heard Ribeiro was out of the country for some years between 2021 and 2023, but was arrested upon flying back in November 2023.

The child abuse material on his phone comprised nine images and 16 videos, mostly of pre-pubescent girls and boys being made to engage in sexual activity with adults.

Padraig Dwyer SC, defending, told the court his client arrived in the country in 2009.

The case was adjourned to March 21, when a plea of mitigation is expected to be heard.