Trained as an accountant, After her departure from the firm, alleged "financial irregularities" were the subject of review by auditors and an investigation by the
Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation. In 2020, Catriona Carey was convicted of fraud and theft, after forging a cheque to make it payable to her, rather than the payee intended by the business that hired her as an accountant. In February 2022,
RTÉ Investigates reported that she was connected to fraudulent business practices. An article in the
Irish Independent, which described Carey as a "convicted swindler", suggested that the
Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) had received at least 30 such complaints by late February 2022. The GNECB subsequently seized her car and searched her home as part of an investigation into alleged fraud. In mid-2022, Carey was given a suspended prison sentence and a four-year driving ban for driving without a licence or insurance while disqualified from driving. She was also sued by
Bank of Ireland for reputed outstanding debts and, after "defaulting on her mortgage payments for nearly 10 years", Carey's own home was repossessed in November 2022. In late 2022, a bench warrant was issued for the arrest of the former secretary of Carey's company, Careysfort Asset Estates. Carey herself was arrested in early 2023 as part of an investigation by the
Corporate Enforcement Authority (separate from the parallel GNECB investigation). She was arrested again, as part of the GNECB investigation, on 18 April 2023. In December 2024, she was arrested and charged with three offences under the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010. A number of finance companies, associated with Carey, were "listed to be struck off" by the
Companies Registration Office during 2024. The
Central Bank of Ireland had previously (in 2022) issued a public warning about her companies. During the week ending 7 February 2025, Carey appeared in court twice. Firstly, on Tuesday 4 February 2025, she faced 46 charges (arising from the Garda and Corporate Enforcement Authority investigation) on breaching company law. Later that week, on Friday 7 February 2025, Carey faced multiple charges (arising from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau investigation) for money laundering. A trial date for the money laundering charges was set for January 2027, and a trial date for the charges relating to company law breaches was set for June 2027. ==See also==