A former solicitor has been found guilty of stealing €52m from the banks by fraudulently using his clients’ homes to secure loans.
Thomas Byrne from Mountjoy Square was shut down after a complaint was made to the Law Society five years ago.
Thomas Byrne averted his gaze downwards and gave no reaction when the verdicts were read out.
It took the jury 17 and a half hours to find him guilty on all 50 counts in what was the largest theft case in the history of the state.
His trial heard how the “music stopped” in October 2007 when another solicitor realised he’d forged her signature to secure a €4.5m bank loan.
The whole house of cards soon came tumbling down and it emerged he stole €52m by fraudulently securing bank loans with clients’ properties.
From the witness stand, the 47-year-old claimed he was bullied into bankrolling the "outlandish lifestyle" of a developer called John Kelly.
He also said some of the bankers knew what he was up to and questioned why they weren't facing charges.
Despite this, Judge Patrick McCartan said the evidence against him was overwhelming and said the decision was almost inevitable.
Mr. Byrne was then taken away in custody and will be sentenced in December.
