Two more arrests ‘imminent’ in Catriona Carey fraud investigation

It has emerged that the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) is in the closing stages of its investigation into an alleged €400,000 mortgage scam.

The development comes after a man linked to Carey was released without charge from Wexford garda station on Wednesday night.

He was questioned about accusations of conspiracy to commit deception after his arrest on Tuesday morning, and a file on his case will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The man was the first person to be arrested as part of the long-running GNECB investigation, but sources now say there will be at least two more arrests in the coming weeks.

It is understood a middle-aged woman and a middle-aged man are expected to be interviewed under caution.

“These arrests are imminent, and once this has happened, gardaí can then prepare a file for the DPP on this entire matter. These suspects would be considered central players in this elaborate fraud,” a source said.

It was revealed last year that former Irish hockey star Carey was involved in an alleged mortgage scam in which she received thousands of euro from people in financial distress after promising to help them secure new deals to keep their properties.

She is under investigation by the GNECB, which received dozens of complaints from people who paid her between €5,000 and €60,000.

Carey admitted that up to €200,000 deposited in an account by desperate homeowners was spent on personal items including holidays, a €55,000 BMW and designer clothing. She said the money is now gone and not recoverable.

Carey has been accused of scamming dozens of people after offering to buy debt from their mortgage lenders at a discount once she received deposits. However, the deals she promised never materialised.

She also has a previous conviction for fraud. In February 2020, she was before the courts for altering a cheque she received from a client who had hired her as his accountant.

Carey was arrested last month as part of a separate investigation. Officers from the Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA) brought her to Carlow garda station for questioning. She was released without charge after more than 12 hours.

The CEA is an independent statutory agency tasked with investigating suspected breaches of company law.

Its investigation is separate from the continuing garda probe.

Carey hit the headlines in February last year when RTÉ Investigates broadcast a programme detailing complaints of alleged fraud regarding her Careysfort Asset Estates company.