For sale Catriona Carey's Kilkenny house up for auction as gardaí probe mortgage scam

A property registered in the name of former Irish hockey player Catriona Carey has been put up for sale on auction site BidX1 for €365,000.

The four-bedroom house on the Castlecomer Road, Kilkenny, was being rented for €9,600 per year.

Ms Carey is currently at the centre of multiple fraud allegations regarding a mortgage scheme, which are being investigated by gardaí, and last week her white BMW was seized by officers from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB).

The Sunday World can now reveal how one of two properties registered in her name is up for sale.

According to the Property Registration Authority, the house was purchased by Ms Carey in September 2010 through a mortgage with AIB.

BidX1 is now advertising it for sale with a bidding deposit of €7,000 required.

It is currently subject to a tenancy of €800 per month, which BidX1 states is “under rented” based on rental comparisons available on the market.

The online public auction is set to take place on March 31.

Legal documents regarding the sale have not yet been published.

The property description states it is within walking distance of all amenities in Kilkenny town centre, overlooks a communal green area, is spacious and well-proportioned accommodation and includes four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

“The property was not internally inspected or measured by BidX1,” the advertisement states.

Ms Carey also owns her family home in Co Kilkenny but has not been seen there since the fraud allegations came to light in a documentary by RTÉ Investigates.

Gardaí are now investigating a number of alleged fraud incidents relating to the activities of a business owned by the Kilkenny woman.

Careysfort Asset Estates is registered in the UK and has been the subject of multiple complaints to gardaí.

Gardaí carried out a search at Ms Carey’s home in Kilkenny two weeks ago and seized a number of documents, and it was revealed last week how she had been staying in a property in Co Wexford, where gardaí seized a BMW she had been driving.

Ms Carey has a previous conviction for fraud.

In February 2020, she received an eight-month suspended sentence after altering a cheque she received from a client who had hired her as his accountant.

She changed a cheque for €6,948 which had been made out to the Revenue’s collector general, instead making it payable to herself, and cashed it at a bank in Kilkenny.

Now gardaí are investigating allegations she was involved in a mortgage scam that may have affected at least 30 people.

Ms Carey trained as an accountant and is director and owner of Careysfort Asset Estates Ltd.

Through this firm she claimed she could help those in financial distress by clearing their debt with a new loan from Careysfort, enabling them to stay in their homes.

She wanted a deposit upfront, asking clients for between 10pc and 30pc of the proposed new loan.

However, many of the deals never materialised and clients have not had their deposits returned.

Some people claim that they paid her up to €60,000 after borrowing money from family and credit unions.

A Garda spokesperson said: “An Garda Síochána is investigating a number of alleged fraud incidents relating to the activities of an asset management company.

“An Garda Síochána is not going to comment on or confirm individual complaints,” the spokesperson added.

“An Garda Síochána does not comment on named entities or individuals.”

Carey previously played hockey for Ireland and camogie for Kilkenny.

She is the sister of hurling legend DJ Carey.