Accountant jailed for stealing €1.4m from KPMG

A qualified accountant from Shrule, County Mayo, has been sentenced to two years in custody at Galway Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to stealing €1.4m from his employer KPMG. David Craddock, aged 42, admitted ten sample counts of theft occurring between 2014 and 2019. An investigation revealed 129 thefts in total. Craddock, employed by KPMG from 2013 to 2019, created fake invoices through a private company called Shanbar, altering VAT payments and overcharging accounts to divert funds. He used the stolen money to build a home in Shrule and purchase vehicles. Judge Brian O'Callaghan acknowledged Craddock as "a clearly good person brought down by greed" but determined the custodial threshold had been reached due to the scale, premeditation, and deception involved. The court recognised his early guilty plea, full co-operation, and €900,000 restitution already paid. The sentence was partially suspended, with eighteen months deferred on conditions.