Irish scammers Dermot Anthony O’Brien and Richard James Long sent to jail

A magistrate has refused to free two Irish men, despite a last-minute bid to buy their way out of more prison time, after they conned a Ferntree Gully woman out of $34,000 in a building repairs scam — before returning to swindle more cash from her.

Two Irish scammers have been sent to jail.

Two Irish scammers who duped their prey into handing over tens of thousands of dollars have failed in their bid to buy their way out of prison.

Dermot Anthony O’Brien, 22, and Richard James Long, 24, each pleaded guilty to three deception charges at the Ringwood Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

Their lawyers handed $40,000 to the court in the hope it would influence a decision that the duo’s 37 days served in remand would be sufficient punishment.

But Magistrate David Starvaggi wouldn’t free the conmen — both fathers and one a “devout Catholic” — ordering O’Brien back behind bars for a month and Long for a further three more weeks.

The court heard the Irish nationals were in the country on working holiday visas when they impersonated Housing Industry Association investigators to try and scam Ferntree Gully residents.

Court documents reveal O’Brien had already conned one woman out of $34,000 in a 2016building repairs scam, before the pair visited her home on June 6, telling her she needed to pay to help to have her lost money returned.

She later paid them $9,900 cash.

The pair were caught at a victim’s house on June 11 after the woman told police she had concerns about them demanding cash.

O’Brien was charged with conning victims out of $43,900 between December 9, 2016 and June 6, 2019, while Long was charged with obtaining $9900 by deception.

Mr Starvaggi said the men’s actions were “very concerning” and a “gross and serious example of a breach of trust”.

“He’s done this in 2016 and come back for a second bite of the cherry,” Mr Starvaggi said of O’Brien’s offending. “He got the thrill of it.”

O’Brien’s lawyer Damian McNally told the court his client was a “devout Catholic” who took his wife and three-year-old son to church in Ireland every Sunday.

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He said O’Brien’s visa had expired and pushed for the 22-year-old to be allowed to return to his supportive family in Ireland.

Long’s lawyer Megan Casey said her client was deeply remorseful and had never been in trouble with the law before.

She said he was “so disgusted in himself” and wanted to return home to his partner and four-year-old twins.

“It didn’t sink in what he was involved in until he was locked up,” she told the court.

Long broke down as the case was heard.

The court heard both men had been struggling in prison and had no family or friends in Australia.

Mr Starvaggi said the men’s payment was “a substantial recognition of contrition”, but ordered they spend further time in jail for their deceptions.

O’Brien was sentenced to 70 days, minus the 37 he had already served, while Long was ordered to spend another 23 days behind bars.

The pair have been in police custody since they were arrested on June 11.

They were arrested along with co-accused 19-year-old Michael Dooley, when a large amount of counterfeit cash was found in their car.