Former Irish hockey star Catríona Carey faces a week in custody over mortgage scam allegations

 14h ago

Former Irish hockey star Catríona Carey faces a week in Garda custody following her arrest for orchestrating an alleged €600,000 mortgage scam.

Ms Carey, 45, from Kilkenny, the sister of renowned hurler DJ Carey, was detained on Monday by detectives from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, formerly known as the fraud squad. She is being questioned by officers under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act at a south Dublin Garda station.

They have the authority to question her for up to seven days, regarding the alleged deception offence. It’s understood that approximately 20 criminal complaints have been made to date.

Ms Carey is suspected of offering fraudulent services to distressed mortgage holders throughout the country. It’s alleged that she obtained stolen money andpromised to refinance the properties of homeowners. A total of three individuals are suspected of being part of the sophisticated scam.

Catriona Carey pictured leaving Kilkenny District Court this afternoon after she was convicted of motoring offences and banned from driving for 4 years. Pic: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin© Provided by Evoke.ie

The former Kilkenny camogie and international hockey player is the second person to be arrested so far.

A man was arrested last month in connection with the case and was questioned for two days before being released without charge. He was questioned about conspiracy to commit deception, while another man is expected to be arrested in the coming week.

The Revenue Commissioners secured a mortgage judgment against Ms Carey almost a decade before she was exposed for allegedly orchestrating the mortgage scam.

Hockey player Catriona Carey of Hermes Hockey Club during a feature at UCD in Dublin. Pic: Matt Browne/Sportsfile© Provided by Evoke.ie

Property records show the taxman also obtained a second judgment against her, three years later. Both judgments were registered against a house Ms Carey owned at Rochfort Manor, Leighlin Road, Crossneen, Co. Laois.

The first judgment was obtained at the High Court in Dublin on October 29, 2013, which was registered against the property two years later, on October 5, 2015.

Revenue obtained a second judgment against Ms Carey in the Circuit Court on May 2016. Ms Carey was convicted of fraud in February 2020 after altering a cheque she received from a client who had hired her as his accountant.

Catriona Carey pictured leaving Kilkenny District Court this afternoon after she was convicted of motoring offences and banned from driving for 4 years. Pic: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin© Provided by Evoke.ie

She was also arrested in February as part of an investigation by the Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA) into alleged breaches of company law. She was later released without charge.

The CEA inquiry is separate to the Garda investigation into allegations that Ms Carey received money from mortgage holders to do deals on distressed loans, and kept the money without the promised arrangements being struck with lenders. Records show that Ms Carey bought the Co. Laois property several years before her financial woes began.

She became the registered owner in June 2006.

Five years later, a €351,000 mortgage, obtained by her late father John Carey was secured on his daughter’s house.

Irish businesswoman, Catriona Carey, a former sports star who played hockey for Ireland and camogie for her county, Kilkenny filmed by RTÉ Investigates for an RTÉ One documentary RTE Investigates -The Accountant, The Con, The Lies exposes a scam involving Ms Carey.© Provided by Evoke.ie

At least four generations of the family have lived at the Careys’ home base of The Demesne in Gowran, Co. Kilkenny. Documents lodged with the national property registration authority show Ms Carey’s father John became the full owner of the land at The Demesne on April 7, 1987. He acquired the property just outside the picturesque village – famed for its racecourse, Gowran Park – without incurring any debt or without the need for a mortgage.

The substantial property remained debt-free for almost 24 years until February 2011, when John Carey obtained the €351,000 loan from ACC Bank. John Carey’s ACC loan is also linked to two other properties on the family’s land on The Demesne.

Irish businesswoman, Catriona Carey, a former sports star who played hockey for Ireland and camogie for her county, Kilkenny filmed by RTR investigates for an RTE One documentary RTE Investigates -The Accountant, The Con, The Lies exposes a scam involving Ms Carey. Pic: RTE© Provided by Evoke.ie

These are owned by Ms Carey’s two other brothers, Martin and Kieran. According to property records, a charge has been registered against all three properties by Pepper Finance Corporation (Ireland). Records show that on October 3, 2011 – seven months after the late Mr Carey’s €351,000 ACC loan ACC was registered – his son Martin Carey became the owner of a property at The Demesne.

Kieran then became the registered owner of another portion of land on the site of The Demesne on October 14, 2013. On September 12, 2019, Pepper Finance took over charge on the original €351,000 loan on the three properties held by the Carey siblings