RTE Investigates [RTE 1]

gmisk · 16-02-2022 11:17pm

Definitely feel sympathy for the people conned....but....and there is a but....they must have had an inkling it wasn't exactly legit? Also the first thing you would do is Google her and I would say the fact she seemed to steal money from her own brother might have given you an indication it wasn't a good idea to hand her thousands...

16-02-2022 11:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118643305#Comment_118643305

First day in UCC law .........." Caveat Emptor"

realdanbreen · 16-02-2022 11:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118643958#Comment_118643958

Day 2 in UCC law......why do you need the 20 grand in cash?

16-02-2022 11:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118644027#Comment_118644027

No..... that was 2nd year wasn't it????😂

Pussyhands · 17-02-2022 12:19am

Out of all the people mentioned in the programme, only one of them took out a loan for the cash deposit.

So there's real and unpopular questions that are fair to ask such as

If you are in arrears in your mortgage, why did you use 15-60k cash as a deposit for another loan rather than putting this into the current mortgage? A bank would have been mightily happy to see that cash coming their way...

and

How do you expect anything good to come out of not paying your mortgage for 2 years? (if they thought the mortgage was bought by Carey, they wouldn't have been paying their mortgage to the "old" lender) Why did you expect to live in your house for free for 2 years? Did you think this is a reasonable thing that would happen?

wilddarts · 17-02-2022 12:27am

KCLR interview with Paul Murphy, the journalist from the RTE Investigates programme. Only around 19 minutes long. Worth a listen, gives a good recap and a little extra detail about the Dublin business address used.

https://kclr96fm.com/kclr-live-the-accountant-the-con-the-lies-we-talk-to-journalist-paul-murphy-who-exposed-catriona-carey/

martingriff · 17-02-2022 12:48am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118643888#Comment_118643888

I agree but that is if they had the precence of that at that moment in there situation in there despair to google her name

martingriff · 17-02-2022 12:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118632184#Comment_118632184

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118632243#Comment_118632243

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118632261#Comment_118632261

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118632344#Comment_118632344

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118632374#Comment_118632374

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118632082#Comment_118632082

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118631915#Comment_118631915

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118631933#Comment_118631933

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118631991#Comment_118631991

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118632015#Comment_118632015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118632041#Comment_118632041

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118643842#Comment_118643842

That was just the first 3 pages

Damn quoting in this site this is meant for @realdanbreen

Gusser09 · 17-02-2022 1:14am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118643713#Comment_118643713

I think you are being seriously naive. Regarding the residential mortgage victims how many of them have actually lost their homes?

We know that if people are making a reasonable attempt to pay their mortgage based on their means homes just dont get taken. It doesnt happen even with the vulture funds.

I've no doubt that there are genuine vicitims but i also have no doubt that some were looking to abdicate their financial responsibilities.

I have sympathy for the people but the more we learn about the case the more it looks like a Netflix true crime docuseries with a myriad of twists and turns.

I'd be of the belief that some of the "victims" were used by Carey to lure the more genuine cases and they all thought they'd become wealthy by pulling the wool over the banks eyes. I don't think Careys main objective was to take money without giving anything in return but who knows. I think she's as mad as a bag of bricks and doesnt live in the real world.

Xander10 · 17-02-2022 1:24am

so, me saying Irish people are trusting by nature, was slagging off the victims??

Weird

17-02-2022 1:27am

Surely there’s a lot of questions to be asked of the person (barrister) who introduced all these people to Carey..

Were they in on it too? Were they naive enough to be conned too? You’d think a barrister would know that what she was offering was too good to be true and/or illegal?

Edit: just read back over the thread; some great digging in there. I’d still suspect there’s another intermediary involved in there with some insider knowledge that gets the distressed owners from Start to Carey. This Freeman lawyer one doesn’t seem like the brains of the operation, somehow.

martingriff · 17-02-2022 2:16am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118644415#Comment_118644415

Of course I know if you engage with a bank your house will not be taken. Anyone who is looking at it rational does but some of these may have been in a point in time they were not thinking rational and were taken in. Of course there are those who were hoping they could get 1 over on the banks and while they may get less sympathy they were still scammed. I believe the Carey and the rest in the company knew exactly what they were doing. They probably used different hooks on different people to get them in

More Music · 17-02-2022 2:33am

So many questions in hindsight. Feel sorry for the victims.

Did they stop paying mortages while waiting for Carey?
How were they going to get a loan to purchase their properties at the new mortage rate with Carey?
If they could get 20 or 30k (in 2 cases €65k), why couldn't they make some arrangement with lender?
Did they not think something was up when asked to pay cash deposits or when they were now directors of companies setup by Carey in this new deal?
The son who bought the home and business from his parents in Louth. What did the couple do with all the money they got? Could they not have helped out? Strange that a neighbour would buy the property knowing the situation and then let them live there. Are they paying rent to the neighbour?
Did anybody get their own legal advice before signing these contracts/legal documents?

Dempo1 · 17-02-2022 8:11am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118644572#Comment_118644572

All questions many of us have asked on the Thread

All questions RTE could have asked

All questions we just may not get the Answers too although, I suspect we've definitely not heard the last on this Scam or for that mater, the Delightful Catriona Carey 😉

carfinder · 17-02-2022 9:05am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118644572#Comment_118644572

Many questions alright and I'm not feeling too sorry for these "victims".

There's a serious bang of Freeman off all of this and these "victims" must have bought in to it all - I'd imagine that the whole thing works by convincing the mark that the whole thing is a conjob but they and Carey benefit and the evil banks get ripped off and that's ok.... No due diligence, no garda, cash payments 🤔🤔

17-02-2022 9:11am

Statement up on Chara Legal from Ciara. It’s long and I’m on my phone copied into my next post

https://www.facebook.com/471014580325515/posts/1135534027206897/

17-02-2022 9:18am

A statement on Catriona Carey and Careysfort Asset Estate Ltd

My initial thoughts were not to say anything. I had the belief that all who know me know that I would never be involved in a scam and the least said was the best option. I didn’t see the benefit to giving the keyboard warriors an open goal.

But when your profile picture is shared on social media with the word “scum” under it and your children see comments about their mother, then the gloves come off and a statement is made.

Many moons ago I became involved with lay litigants who were in trouble with the banks. My job was to help. So I helped. I did everything I could to help people who were in trouble.

Through work contacts I met Catriona Carey in 2019 and she claimed she had an offering to give a second chance to people in last chance saloon. I don’t think I need to elaborate as the whole country saw the human tragedy this woman has caused.

The scam was elaborate and polished. It was done many times before I now believe. None of us know it when we were looking at her contracts as very little was on Google. Weirdly there was no reference to a previous conviction. There was a reference to the bro DJ but when Catriona quickly goes and sets up a rival company with her Mam and sister then one can jump to the conclusion that the family backed her so she must be innocent in her dispute with DJ. Hindsight is wonderful!

So Catriona Carey presented a limited company called Careysfort Asset Estates Ltd, run by an accountant and taxation consultant, reputable firm of solicitors on record and their contact details freely given. I introduced some people to her. They spoke to Catriona. Her approach was always laid back. “Have a look at the contract and see what you think” said with a smile. She answered each and every question she was asked.

Clause 17 of this contract states that the potential client should do due diligence and have the contracts checked by the solicitor. Most did. If it wasn’t their solicitor they brought in their accountant or in some cases their financial adviser. Every question was answered by her in writing. A deposit was required and initially that was cash. Thankfully I keep all communication and in a number of them I state that I was not happy with Catriona asking my client for a cash deposit. Catriona Carey produced the relevant invoice/receipt for all cash deposits. She assured clients that all deposits were covered in her contract with them and the contract acknowledges every cent of every deposit. It also states that the deposit is refundable. After a while Careysfort Asset Estates takes the deposit by bank transfer.

All seemed ok in 2019/20. Covid gave her and her business partner (I can’t name him as this is under investigation) an excuse to not produce contracts. I was told by someone in 2020 that he had 15 missed appointments with Catriona Carey and her “solicitor”. At this stage they had a “new solicitor” and this guy was in-house.

I was so convinced I paid them myself to sort out a better mortgage! They took my money like everyone else’s. I also paid Ms Careys business partner to get me signature analysis reports and that didn’t happen either. Again they took my money!

On August 6th 2021 I got a written authority from the people I introduced and I issued an ultimatum to Careysfort Asset Estates stating they had 7 days to execute the contract or else rescind. In other words sign or cough up! Within an hour I got threatening messages from Ms Carey’s business partner and her “solicitor”. The contents were disgraceful and later that day she told me that she would no longer have any communication with me and would deal directly with the people who had paid deposits to her. Some were happy to do this and give her the time she said she needed to complete the buy out of their loans.

I was very upset and frightened when I received a whatsapp message accompanied by a picture taken outside my house telling me they knew where I lived! All this was because I had issued an ultimatum to Catriona Carey and Careysfort Asset Estates to complete the work they had started.

I first went to the Guards in Aug 2021 and started talking to RTE investigates in November. Everyone one else has too. Last week, just two days before the airing of the expose I got a phone call from one of Ms Carey’s associates. I was told to get the expose stopped and suffice to say there was a pleasant threat that involved the Kinnehans. I cannot repeat my response but it did have “off” at the end.

It is a horrible feeling when you see your picture on social media with the word “scum”. I will state emphatically I am not involved in this scam, I had no knowledge it was a scam. I was never a director or employee of Careysfort Asset Estates and I too am a victim of it. The only problem is that everywhere I turn I’m being annihilated. Facebook, twitter, anonymous texts, whatsapps, phone calls during the night etc etc.

It’s a sickening shocking feeling to read the words that some people write about you, especially when you have gone out of your way to help those very same people. There is no regard for your feelings or your vulnerability. Is it ok to treat people like **** and reduce them to tears? There are no thoughts for families and the people who get upset. And what is completely incredible is that there is no regard for the truth. Once you have the keyboard you can say what the hell you want. It stops now because I am not having my life and that of my families ruined because of false allegations.

One other thing I need to say…..there is a second company Ms Carey has called Watershed Ltd, myself and my then business partner were directors for a while but resigned and I have not been a director since January 2 2021. Feel free to check out solocheck.ie to confirm this. To correct another tweet I saw, I was not and never have been a director of any UK company with Ms Carey.

Sorry for the long statement but it has to be said because this social media assault was getting out of hand and becoming bloody dangerous. Some of the screenshots I have seen have kept me awake and made me fear for my safety. Given the nature of this I am not making further comments. Thank you.

realdanbreen · 17-02-2022 9:40am

Wow!

Deeec · 17-02-2022 9:40am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118644858#Comment_118644858

Thank you for posting this. Jaysis there is so much stuff written there that doesnt make sense to me. Some of it may be true but alot of it is spoof.

She is supposed to be an intelligent, experienced legal professional!

cap.in.hand. · 17-02-2022 9:49am

Since chara legal connection with cathriona Carey has now being outed...is it a damage limitation exercise now

17-02-2022 10:07am

She’s up to her eyeballs in the scam and the woe is me I’m vulnerable and fearing for my life is sickening. All publicly available info on these companies shows a wicked web of deceitful people all interconnected

Don’t forget, she is named on court papers served last year by one of the people that was on RTÉ investigates.

Fattybojangles · 17-02-2022 10:09am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118643305#Comment_118643305

Ah God love the poor innocent craturs that were able to just come up with 60k to hand over just like that.

Dempo1 · 17-02-2022 10:16am

Wow @PencilSharpenerOnWheels

We're to start on that Statement 😳

Firstly I certainly do not condone the treatment this person has recieved on social media, that is utterly unacceptable.

However there's so many holes in this statement , I'm reminded of Swiss cheese.

I've absolutely no doubt there was thuggish behaviour from Miss Carey and her vile cohorts.

The fundamental question remains, what was this supposed Legal Expert doing recommending anyone to this vile individual but more importantly did she leave her Legal Hat at home when actually reading the contracts which a first year law student could easily come to the conclusion they were completely preposterous and so absurd it wouldn't even make a half decent fairy tale.

As has been pointed out on numerous occasions, the premice of what Carey was proposing to do for these people was completely absurd in every respect.

She goes on to say she was a director for a short time of another one of Careys companies, how exactly did that transpire 🤔 clearly she had some Trust in Carey, to become a director of a company is not a small thing.

The absurdity of the comment about Google searches, stretches credulity, the DJ story has been doing the rounds online since 2011 and to assume Catriona went off and set up a rival company with mummy as a signal she was somehow innocent is extraordinary. The inner workings of families can be very complex, did she not consider the very cunning and devious Catriona was capable of duping her own mother 🤔, regardless, the facts at what Catriona Carey did at her Brothers firm remain for the world to analyse on the world wide Web.

Honestly, I sympathise (a little) with this individual (Online abuse) but mother of God she does not appear to be very bright and is certainly no legal scholar.

This said we at least have some sense of that utterly contemptable, Ghastly, Thuggish, Vile and Nasty (Alledgedly) the not so Delightful Catriona is.

EDIT, I also wonder if she started talking to RTE, did she appear on the show 🤔 why the referral to a Mysterious Barrister, I certainly didn't get an impression from the show this mysterious barrister was in receipt of Glowing praise from anyone 🤔

17-02-2022 10:26am

I don’t believe a word of the statement.

Dempo1 · 17-02-2022 10:30am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118645122#Comment_118645122

I believe the bits about intimidation and Thuggish behaviour from a certain individual 😉

fryup · 17-02-2022 10:50am

Two questions about the above statement..

1 is it from the barrister Ciara Ruschitzko? and 2 is Pencilsharpenersonwheels Ciara Rushitzko or just a regular poster who just did a copy & paste from a website?😶

Deeec · 17-02-2022 10:50am

She says the scam was 'elaborate and polished' - it really wasnt at all .
She doesnt appear to have checked if Carey was registered to do this kind of work
She admits introducing clients to Carey - no doubt she picked the clients that wouldnt ask any questions.
She ignored Catrionas dodgy history
On the programme noone mentioned doing any due diligence or checking with their solicitor - was she the one who ok'ed the contracts.
cash payments - this should be a big no, no, no for any legal professional
I dont believe for a second that she engaged Carey to ' get her a better mortgage'
As Dempo said above you would have to be close to someone to become a director of a company with them. Carey was more than an casual contact.

This womans career is ruined and thats a big price to pay. She may even face legal consequences for her involvement but threatening her is out of order.

robwen · 17-02-2022 10:52am

So are we to believe the Notorious Kinahan gang are involved in this?

17-02-2022 10:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118645248#Comment_118645248

I’m definitely not Ciara 😂

Deeec · 17-02-2022 10:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118645248#Comment_118645248

Yes the message is from Ciara. No Pencilsharpenersonwheels is not Ciara 😂 - they just posted it up here from Chara legals facebook page.

Thank god you never met Catriona Carey 😂

Dempo1 · 17-02-2022 10:57am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118645254#Comment_118645254

Well said , the statement, on closer examination actually raises more questions , you'd have to wonder who is advising this person 🙄

Pussyhands · 17-02-2022 10:58am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118644836#Comment_118644836

I was so convinced I paid them myself to sort out a better mortgage! They took my money like everyone else’s.

Hold on a minute....so this person that set up a new company offering a service to negotiate with banks on their mortgage arrears, didn't actually negotiate with the banks themselves, and went and got Carey to buy out her mortgage...apparantly!

Dempo1 · 17-02-2022 11:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118645262#Comment_118645262

Of course not but I wouldn't be in the slightest bit surprised if Catriona or her "Friend' from the sunny South East , let it slip (very, very foolishly) they had connections when making Threats.

fryup · 17-02-2022 11:02am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118645276#Comment_118645276

so where did you get the statement?

realdanbreen · 17-02-2022 11:03am

I can't ever recall seeing a statement from a body of legal professionals that contained lines like " the gloves come off", many moons ago", last chance saloon " or " the bro DJ" !

Deeec · 17-02-2022 11:06am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118645286#Comment_118645286

The statement is actually very poorly written and worded . This statement could actually land her in more trouble.

ArmaniJeanss · 17-02-2022 11:07am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118645316#Comment_118645316

He literally linked to it on Chara Legal facebook page on the post before he copy and pasted it.

fryup · 17-02-2022 11:08am

^^^^^^^^^

ok, sorry didn't see that

Dempo1 · 17-02-2022 11:10am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118645336#Comment_118645336

I agree , Ironically, Claire Byrne doing a segment later on how to get information on a person via Google searches removed 😁 this individual and Catriona might be advised to listen in 😏

17-02-2022 11:14am

The laughable thing is she says she looked up Carey and therefore knew the story with her brother but obviously she missed the media reports from 2013 linking Carey and Allen. And the company that Ciara was now involved in, Carey Asset Estates, she didn’t look up and didn’t check the other director, Charlie Allen and his dodgy dealings.

And she talks about due diligence 😂

Dempo1 · 17-02-2022 11:17am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118645372#Comment_118645372

Due Ignorance so to speak 😏

Furze99 · 17-02-2022 11:24am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118644814#Comment_118644814

Yes maybe in several cases it was nod, nod, wink, wink - we can all be winners here. Until things turned sour.

Muahahaha · 17-02-2022 12:47pm

Only saw this last night. My god what a weapon she is and Id say the 500k RTE accounted for is only the tip of the iceberg. ts also hard to believe that 1 million went missing from DJ's cleaning company were she was the finance director and he reported her to the Garda Fraud Squad yet nothing ever came of it. To make matters worse her mother and sister took her side in the dispute and then just to really twist the knife on DJ they went and set up a tival cleaning company to presumably try to steal his clients

It is understood DJ made the initial complaint to Kilkenny gardaí.

Sources close to the Carey family say the bitter row has torn them apart. It is understood that personal attempts were made to resolve the issue but a total breakdown in communication between brother and sister meant this was not possible.

‘It’s the typical family feud over money. It has the power to destroy families and it has certainly driven a wedge between them,’ said one.

‘There are serious ructions going on because of it, with certain members siding with Catríona and others with DJ. It is very upsetting for all involved, and is has become very bitter indeed. It is sad because Catríona and DJ were very close.’

Since leaving DJ’s firm, which has sold cleaning products since 1994, Miss Carey has set up a new company called Carey Cleaning Supplies Ltd with her sister, Liz and mother, Maura, apparently in competition with his

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1345467/DJ-Carey-s-1m-fraud-claim-Hurling-legend-calls-gardai-sister-missing-cash.html

So she dips her brother for 1 million, sends his company to the wall and then just to add insult to injury his own mother and another sister take the side of Catriona and go and set up a rival company to try to crucify him even more. It sounds to me like all the female members of the Carey family are absolute weapons.

Plus the brazenness of it all. I could understand it more if she did a bunk to another country with her stolen money. But no, she was playing hockey in Kilkenny as recently as 6 days ago as if nothing ever happened. There is a real psychopathic quality about that kind of behaviour, she literally has no shame.

Pentecost · 17-02-2022 12:52pm

That statement from Ciara R is well and good but at no point does she mention that even if Carey's intentions were good, what she was proposing to do wasn't legal under Irish law as the company wasn't regulated by the Central Bank. She may not be a crook but she's certainly coming across as incompetent.

cap.in.hand. · 17-02-2022 1:01pm

Was looking at a YouTube video ....'conor Ryan confronts Charles Allen trust' ...in it the Irish examiner reporter calls to a premises that looks like it being renovated and meets Allen who tells him it's private property and get out...but reporter said it's not ...so next thing Allen says I'm calling the gardai and walks back in the door of the premises and shouts in the door.. CATHRIONA.... call the guards.. wonder is it the cathriona Carey.... interestingly Charles Allen is also from Kilkenny

SAMTALK · 17-02-2022 1:18pm

In the legal profession and never questioned cash payments !

People may have been desperate but anyone that wants to be paid in cash has something to hide and should have alerted people that something wasnt right.

druss · 17-02-2022 1:27pm

I'm sure CC could issue an almost identical hand-wringing statement implying that she had proceeded on the basis of the "best legal advice" from Ciara R and is now likewise in fear of mob-rule, despite having the best of intentions.

A lot of her texts implied that the delays were legal hiccups. If this goes to court, there will be some amount of mud to be flung.

I still don't see any coherent exit strategy for this scheme though. Complete "Mr Micawber" and assumed that somehow there would be magic beans? Do a Michael Lynn and aim to retire to sunnier climes? In hock to the mob?