Former Irish hockey player Catriona Carey arrested by fraud squad detectives as part of an investigation into an alleged mortgage scam amounting to €600,000, according to the Irish Independent. The 45-year-old was arrested by appointment by officers from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) and is currently being held under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act at a South Dublin garda station.
Ms Carey is being questioned about conspiracy to commit a serious offence, namely alleged deception. It is alleged that she offered fraudulent services to distressed mortgage holders across Ireland, promising to refinance their properties but instead stealing the money she obtained. Detectives have identified three people as part of their long-running investigation, and Ms Carey is the second person to be arrested in the probe. It is rumoured that these complaints were made to the Gardai over two-years ago and it is likely that the money is unrecoverable.
Fraudster Catriona Carey has finally been arrested by Gardai investigating the mortgage scam. Indo puts the fraud at €600k, but it could be a lot more.
And where are we with her €1.7m British company which she started in 2013, where did that money come from? https://t.co/rOaHe1qsKT pic.twitter.com/oUnYZFBYF6— nwl (@nwl88444048) April 18, 2023
Last year, it was reported that Ms Carey had been involved in a similar alleged mortgage scam in which she received thousands of euros from people in financial distress, promising to help them secure new deals to keep their properties. However, the promised deals never materialized, and it was later revealed that she had spent up to €200,000 of the money received on personal items, including holidays, a luxury car, and designer clothing.
Catriona Carey, once had a successful career as a camogie player, representing the Clara team that won the Féile na nGael Camogie Division 1 competition in 1992 before playing for Kilkenny. Carey is most known for her expoloits in hockey wehere she earned 72 caps for the Ireland.
The former Irish hockey player also made headlines for alleged fraudulent activities through her company UK based company, Careysfort Asset Estates. Property owners have claimed that they paid tens of thousands of euros in deposits to Ms Carey's UK-registered company over a two-year period, and she also asked clients to transfer deposits to bank accounts in Germany and Belgium. Earlier this month, she made a complaint to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) about the criminal investigation into the claims against her after a search of her Kilkenny home.
This is not the first time Ms Carey has faced legal trouble. In February 2020, she was brought before the courts for altering a cheque she received from a client who had hired her as his accountant.
In addition to her legal troubles, Ms Carey has also received a suspended prison sentence and a four-year driving ban for driving without a license or insurance while disqualified from driving. She was previously convicted of tax offences in 2008 and of theft and fraud in 2020.
The ongoing investigation into the alleged mortgage scam involving Catriona Carey continues, and she remains in custody as detectives put around 20 separate criminal complaints to her.
