EXCLUSIVE

‘COMPLETE CHANCER’ 

Bogus solicitor recruited by fraudster Catriona Carey in an alleged €400k mortgage scam was once close to top TV star

• , Crime Editor

• Published: 7:00, 12 Apr 2023

THE bogus solicitor who was recruited by fraudster Catriona Carey in an alleged €400,000 mortgage scam was once close to a top TV star.

The Irish Sun can reveal the fake lawyer – who used the name ‘Damien’ – worked for the well-known figure for a number of years.

But the pair are believed to have fallen out after the so-called solicitor – who worked in the building trade and also as a carer – was accused of supplying fake €50 notes and the TV star became concerned about the alleged fraudster’s activities.

The bogus solicitor is also accused of taking €20,000 from a priest in the east of the country in a botched building project and having links to a criminal who’s currently behind bars.

The bogus solicitor is now in hiding after he was arrested by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau on suspicion of helping Carey mastermind her scam.

“He was doing a lot of work for this major television figure but when he started selling dodgy notes the TV star ended their working relationship.

“He posed as a solicitor and all of the victims are praying that he will be held to account for the damage he has caused.”

At present, Carey remains the centre of a major Garda investigation into the alleged scam in which nineteen people lost thousands.

As part of the investigations, Gardai are examining text messages that was sent from Carey’s solicitor to the innocent victims.

We previously told how ‘Damien’ had accused victims of “telling lies” in a series of texts.

But we also publish other text messages linking the fake solicitor’s role to the scam.

In another threatening text, he wrote: “Catherine is going to subpoena you if you don’t correspond. She needs the contract, not a phone call.”

And in other texts, he lied that victims had made “death threats” against the scammers and threatened to go to the Gardai.

He also told one victim he would “see him in court” and would “let the judge decide” after complaints were made over the failure of Carey to return cash.