Mayo man Michael Lynn lodges appeal against €17.9m. theft conviction- report

Former solicitor Michael Lynn has lodged an appeal to try to overturn his criminal conviction for stealing €17.9 million from six financial institutions during the Celtic Tiger era, according to a report in the Sunday Independent.

The 58-year-old, a native of Crossmolina, is also reported to have issued pre-action correspondence against various state agencies, alleging gardaí had him under “unlawful surveillance” during his second criminal trial in 2023.

His first trial ended with a hung jury the year before.

The report continues: "Lynn was jailed for five-and-a-half years in February, 2024, for stealing €17.9 million by taking out multiple mortgages on the same properties.

"He was released from prison in early August this year under the Community Return Scheme and allowed to complete his sentence by doing unpaid community work.

"Last year, Judge John Edwards dismissed an appeal against the severity of his sentence to the Court of Criminal Appeal, saying Lynn had brought the law profession into disrepute and had leveraged his position as a solicitor to facilitate his crimes.

"The judge said the thefts were perpetrated “cynically, knowingly and intentionally."

"In a new attempt to clear his name, his appeal against conviction, on 11 grounds, is listed for hearing at the Court of Appeal on November 2."