James Keatings, 33, admitted possessing and transferring criminal property after police caught him moving £400,000 in cash during a sting operation in Lanarkshire.
A former professional footballer is facing jail after police discovered him handling £400,000 in laundered cash. James Keatings, 33, was caught in June last year transferring boxes of cash between vehicles in Wishaw, Lanarkshire, following a tip-off from the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Keatings, who played for Hibernian’s 2016 Scottish Cup-winning squad and also featured for Hearts, Dundee United, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and Hamilton Academical, admitted possessing and transferring criminal property at Falkirk Sheriff Court.
The court heard how Keatings parked his white Transit van alongside a Mercedes van on Young Street. Officers witnessed him remove “two weighty boxes” from his van and place them in the rear of the Mercedes. A subsequent search of the Mercedes revealed 78 bundles of banknotes totalling £390,040. Investigators also found elastic bands with Keatings’ DNA, and his fingerprints and palm prints were discovered on various boxes and bundles of cash.
Embed from Getty ImagesSheriff Maryam Labaki described the offences as “insidious” and warned Keatings that he had crossed “the custody threshold,” signalling the seriousness of the crime. “This is a very significant sum, and it’s an insidious crime in many ways. You must prepare yourself for every eventuality,” she said.
Defence solicitor Brien Greig emphasised that Keatings was a first-time offender, a father, and a working man. At the time of his arrest, Keatings told police he was employed as a plasterer.
The court deferred sentencing until 19 September to allow background reports to be prepared, but Keatings’ bail continues in the meantime.
Keatings’ rise in professional football—from the Celtic academy to several top Scottish clubs—stood in stark contrast to his later involvement in criminal activity. The NCA’s operation highlights ongoing efforts to disrupt large-scale money laundering networks and send a clear message that even high-profile individuals are not above the law.