DEC 03, 2009 Irish fraudster held in prison

DEC 03, 2009
Irish fraudster held in prison
Metro

An Irishman whose firm helped look for Madeleine McCann (pictured) was yesterday remanded in custody after US authorities launched extradition proceedings over an alleged $2.1million (€1.4m) fraud. The US Department of Justice issued an indictment for Kevin Halligen, 48, alleging he tried to defraud a London law firm. It claims he took the money as part of a deal to secure the release of businessmen arrested in the Ivory Coast but spent it instead. Halligen's firm was used by Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry, for around six months last year to look for their missing daughter. Halligen was remanded and the case adjourned until January 27.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2009, Find Madeleine Fund, Ireland, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, McCann, Oakley International, Richard K. Halligen

Why I was on the run by Maddie private detective

NOV 27, 2009
Liverpool Echo
Luke Traynor
Fraud suspect explains why he hid away at hotel
A private detective paid £500,000 to help find Madeleine McCann who is wanted in the USA for an alleged £1.3m fraud claimed he went on the run from journalists.
Kevin Halligen, 48, faced City of Westminster magistrates court, in London, after he was arrested on an extradition warrant in Oxford.

The US Department of Justice alleged he tried to defraud a London law firm of $2.1m. It is claimed he took the money as part of a deal to secure the release of Dutch business executives arrested in the Ivory Coast, but instead spent it on a mansion, a gift to his girlfriend, cash withdrawals and debit-card transactions. He was arrested on Wednesday at a hotel in Oxford, where he stayed for months under an assumed name, after being reported by a student.

The court heard Halligen claims he was forced to move from his UK address into hotels after press attention as a result of the McCann arrangement. The Irish national, the court heard, stayed at a series of addresses over the last eight months to evade reporters.

At the hearing, he was refused bail and remanded in custody until December 2.

Halligen's firm Oakley International was used by Madeleine's parents, Anfield-born Kate and Gerry, for around six months last year to look for their missing daughter. The Washington-based firm was paid about £300,000 by backers of Mr and Mrs McCann to help look for the little girl after she went missing from an Algarve resort in May 2007 at the age of three.

The six-month contract saw the firm hire other private detectives, set up a hotline and process information. It was initially given a £500,000 contract, but the McCanns terminated the arrangement before paying any more fees.

Melanie Cumberland, for the UK government, told the court she was not aware of any proceedings arising from that matter.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2009, Find Madeleine Fund, Ireland, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, McCann, Oakley International, Richard K. Halligen

Maddie fraud: Irishman in court

NOV 26, 2009
Metro
A Dubliner whose firm helped look for Madeleine McCann and who is wanted in the US for an alleged €1.3million fraud, appeared in court yesterday.
Kevin Halligen, 48, faced City of Westminster magistrates after he was arrested on an extradition warrant in Oxford. The US Department of Justice issued an indictment for Halligen earlier this month alleging he tried to defraud a London law firm. They claim he took the money as part of a deal to secure the release of Dutch business executives arrested in the Ivory Coast, but instead spent it on a mansion, a gift for his girlfriend, cash machine withdrawals and debit card transactions. He was arrested at a hotel in Oxford, England, yesterday, where he has been staying for several months under an assumed name, after a discrepancy in his bill resulted in the manager recognising him as an alleged fraudster. Following a short hearing at court yesterday, he was refused bail and was remanded in custody until December 2, when the case will be heard again.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2009, Find Madeleine Fund, Ireland, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, McCann, Oakley International, Richard K. Halligen

Halligen : Wanted by the SAS and FBI

Wanted by the SAS and FBI; 
A Dubliner who allegedly conned the Madeleine McCann fund out of more than ¤300,000 by posing as a secret service agent is on the run from the law — and the woman he pretended to marry
22 November 2009
The Sunday Times
The wedding guests arrived in black limousines to see a British secret agent marry his US government lawyer bride, surrounded by the strictest of security. From the grand 19th-century Evermay mansion, where the ceremony took place, the guests had commanding views of America's power base, Washington, DC. It is a city where former intelligence agents and ex-military men mix warily with their former colleagues and politicians looking for lucrative government security contracts.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2009, British Special Forces, Find Madeleine Fund, IRA, Ireland, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, McCann, MI5, MI6, Oakley International, Portugal, Real IRA, Richard K. Halligen, Special Forces Club

McCann fund hired 'spy' conman

McCann fund hired 'spy' conman; INSIGHT
22 November 2009
The Sunday Times

A businessman who pretended to be a secret agent has allegedly pocketed up to £300,000 (¤333,250) from funds intended to pay investigators working to find Madeleine McCann. Kevin Halligen, a Dublin born security consultant, was paid £500,000 by the Find Madeleine fund but allegedly failed to pass it on to private eyes who worked for him. A friend of Kate and Gerry McCann, Madeleine's parents, said: "He acted as if he were a James Bond-style spy. He promised the earth but it came to nothing."
Halligen's company Oakley International, which is based in Washington DC, offered to provide satellite images and lists of telephone traffic on the night Madeleine disappeared.  The data were supposed to come from contacts in Washington but, one source claimed, "all he came up with was a Google Earth image".

The Madeleine fund was provided with further reports from teams of investigators who found it increasingly difficult to get their fees from Halligen. One is owed £100,000. Documents show that while Halligen's firm was receiving the cash, he was withdrawing large amounts for his personal use. Halligen's contract with the fund was not renewed last October. He has now vanished.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2009, Find Madeleine Fund, Ireland, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, McCann, Oakley International, Richard K. Halligen