House owned by alleged fraudster Catriona Carey sells for €365,000 in online auction

The four-bedroom property on the Castlecomer Road, in Co Kilkenny, was up for public auction today on property auction site Bidx1, with bidders required to pay a deposit of €7,000 to participate.

A guide price of €365,000 had been advertised and the property was sold for this amount. It is understood there was just one bidder.

Catriona Carey is named as the vendor on the sale contract, acting by the receivers Luke Charleton and Marcus Purcell.

The sale contract states the receiver has limited knowledge of the subject property, “but understands that the property is currently occupied by a tenant at a rent of €800 per month, but no letting agreement is held and none shall be furnished.”

The terms of the sale states any unpaid rent accruing up to the date of actual completion shall be furnished to the vendor.

Ms Carey, who has been accused of multiple allegations of fraud after she took €500,000 in deposits from people in financial distress as part of a mortgage scheme, bought the property in 2010.

Receivers were subsequently appointed over the house in 2014.

The property is not her family home and was being rented out for €9,600 a year.

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.

Those who paid her thousands of euros for a mortgage deal that never materialised are concerned they will not recover their money with financial institutions among her list of creditors.

Gardaí are now examining 39 complaints against Catriona Carey after more people came forward with allegations of fraud regarding her asset management company.

The complaints were made to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) regarding her company Careysfort Asset Estates, which is registered in the United Kingdom.

Ms Carey is being investigated for alleged fraud after receiving thousands of euro from people across the country through a mortgage scheme that offered to buy debt from their lenders at a discount.

The deals never materialised and the deposits were not returned, despite her providing terms and conditions stating they would receive their money back if the deal didn’t happen.

There are concerns over their chances of getting anything back after it was revealed that Carey spent more than €200,000 from the Careysfort account on personal items.

The biggest spend using funds from the company account came on July 21, 2020, when money was used to buy a BMW at a cost of €55,226.

She also went on ski trips to Switzerland, took a holiday to Florida and splashed out at high-end boutiques and outlets.

Members of the GNECB seized the BMW from a property in Co Wexford on March 9.

Ms Carey had been spending some time at a house near Courtown and gardaí met her at the property, where they also took away some documentation.

When contacted for comment, a Garda spokesperson said: “An Garda Síochána continues to investigate a number of alleged fraud incidents relating to the activities of an asset management company.

“An Garda Síochána does not provide generic updates on ongoing investigations.”

Meanwhile, Ms Carey is due in Kilkenny District Court next week over alleged driving offences.

It is understood Ms Carey had racked up penalty points on her licence for speeding and driving while holding a mobile phone.

She was disqualified for a period of six months between November 2021 and May 2022. She is also due up in court in May for other alleged driving offences.