How DJ Carey conned cash from real cancer victim
The woman's husband claimed Carey, who this week pleaded guilty to 10 charges of defrauding people out of money while pretending to have cancer, 'groomed' the couple as they were trying to cope with their own health crisis.
And Extra.ie can reveal it was this couple who first blew the whistle on the five-time All-Ireland winner's heartless scam, whose many victims include the businessman Denis O'Brien.
In an interview granted on condition of anonymity, the cancer patient's husband revealed the bombshell moment they realised they were not the only ones conned by Carey. Catriona Carey. Pic: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin
It was while watching an RTÉ documentary about the former hurler's convicted fraudster sister, Catriona Carey, that they realised others could be swindled unless they did something. The cancer patient's husband told Extra.ie: 'There was a Prime Time programme about Catriona Carey on the telly and his MO [modus operandi] seemed to be the same.
'He was so good. You're talking the Talented Mr Ripley here. He was juggling balls and living up a lot. It was a calculated approach. He was so good in his grooming. He was brilliant. It was the work of an artist, and he was consistent even to the end.
'When we saw the programme on the telly we said, 'this has to stop' and we came forward to stop it. We took our responsibilities seriously. And it has stopped. It's not easy to be a whistleblower and to stop fraud. You have to be brave. DJ Carey conned a real cancer victim by pretending he had the same disease. Pic: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin
'People giving him money, these were acts of kindness and decency, and it wasn't reciprocated. We didn't come forward ultimately to see him punished or put behind bars. This had nothing to do with retribution. We came forward to stop it, and it has stopped.'
DJ Carey is regarded as one of the country's greatest-ever hurlers, winning five All-Ireland titles with Kilkenny and nine All-Stars during a glittering sporting career. On Wednesday, the 54-year-old pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Court to 10 separate charges of defrauding people by pretending he had cancer.
There were initially 21 charges against him, and 30 witnesses were due to give evidence about how they were defrauded over an eight-year period between 2014 and 2022. Dressed in a dark suit, Carey sat at the side of the courtroom and walked to the dock when his case was called. DJ Carey outside the CCJ. Pic: ©Fran Veale
He stood with his hands clasped in front of him and replied 'guilty' as the court registrar read out details of each of the 10 charges. Judge Patricia Ryan remanded him on continuing bail for a sentencing hearing to take place on October 29. The court heard that victim-impact statements would be required.
Carey's barrister also requested legal aid on behalf of his client to cover a psychological report that may be necessary, saying there were 'certain mental health issues'. Judge Ryan granted the application. Carey was not required to address the court again and left shortly after.
No evidence was given this week about how much money the former hurler pocketed. However, some sources familiar with the case believe more than €1m was given to Carey under false pretences. Carey's legal team this week said their client has a 'genuine' heart condition and that he had mental health issues.
But until the moment his lawyers indicated Carey would be pleading guilty to the changes, the sportsman had maintained his innocence. The husband of the woman battling a cancer diagnosis who was targeted by Carey said: 'He didn't co-operate until the very end. His legal team said he has a heart condition, and it's a little bit rich because he could have co-operated. He didn't co-operate; he was caught.
'He could have made an attempt to repay people… he was managing the situation right to the end.' The couple who blew the whistle on Carey's fake cancer extortion scam got to know him through business and their shared love of hurling.
They were not particularly close, but he made a point of approaching the couple when he learned about their health crisis. The cancer patient's husband recalled: 'My wife was diagnosed with blood cancer in February 2021, and we were completely up the walls to be given a diagnosis.
'We were looking down the barrel of a gun, we didn't know where we were. Between diagnosis and treatment is the worse time. You are really vulnerable. He [Carey] heard about it on the grapevine, and he was Ambassador for Kilkenny Hurling at the time. I was on the field, and he made a beeline for me.
'He knew about the type of cancer my wife has, and he told me: 'That's what I have. There is hope.' He told me he was getting treatment through his elite sports status in the US.
'He mentioned where he was getting treatment in Seattle and a centre in Manchester.
'I wrote all this down in my phone and he asked could he meet my wife. He was extremely convincing. We were groomed and there was preying on our vulnerability.'
At the time, the former Kilkenny hurler was living in a luxury home on the grounds of the five-star Mount Juliet Estate, where the woman diagnosed with cancer occasionally frequented.
'A few weeks after meeting him, he met my wife and he mentioned to her about going for a coffee.' Afterwards, her husband said, the text messages started to ping on her phone. Within weeks, she received a message looking for money.
The retired sportsman was desperate. He needed urgent treatment. But unless he had money by the weekend, he would lose his slot at an American hospital. Carey assured the cancer patient that his elite sports status cover would kick in at the end of the month, and he assured her he would repay the money then. But once the four-figure sum was transferred, he became elusive.
He was in hospital having treatment. He could not talk because he was in hospital. Rest assured, she would get her money when he got home at the weekend. But as the months passed and the money never materialised, the real-life cancer patient became convinced Carey was 'faking' his cancer.
Eventually, she threatened to go public unless he paid back the money in full. Her husband said Carey called to the house a short time later with the money. Despite their ordeal, the couple say they are fortunate they were able to recover their money. Others were not so lucky.
Although Carey has only pleaded guilty to 10 charges of fraud, the couple's case is among 21 charges Judge Ryan will be asked to consider when sentencing Carey on October 29. Thirteen of his named victims include Denis O'Brien, Noel Tynan, Owen and Ann Conway, Mark and Sharon Kelly, Aidan Mulligan, Tony Griffin and Christy Browne, Thomas Butler, Jeffrey Howes, Edwin Carey and Aonghus Leydon.
In spite of the stress Carey caused the couple, the cancer patient's husband said: 'I don't feel any bitterness towards the chap. I don't have any of that in me. We were codded and got our money back. It's a very sad tale. It's the fall of a sporting idol. The man was like a god in Kilkenny.
'I'm sad for him, I'm sad for his kids, I'm sad for his ex-wife. He targeted people who he knew had some money, and the money was given in goodwill and in the belief that his story was true.'
The man, who said his wife is responding well to her cancer treatment, added: 'Giving the money was an act of decency, and the breach of trust is greater because we all gave that money to someone we thought was in dire need. Cancer or any fake use of cancer for gain should be off-limits, and he did cross that line. It's shocking. It's despicable to do that.'
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