DUBLIN – Former Kilkenny hurling star DJ Carey pleaded guilty Wednesday to defrauding multiple victims out of money by falsely claiming he had cancer, marking a spectacular fall from grace for one of Ireland’s most celebrated sports figures who once won five All-Ireland titles and was hailed as hurling’s “first superstar.”
The 54-year-old appeared at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court dressed in a black suit, where he entered guilty pleas to 10 counts of dishonestly inducing people to pay him money after fraudulently claiming to have cancer and needing finances for treatment. The charges span from 2014 to 2022, with one count being struck out and the remainder to be taken into consideration at sentencing.
Among those Carey admitted to defrauding was billionaire businessman Denis O’Brien, along with former Clare hurler Tony Griffin and 11 other individuals including Owen and Ann Conway, Mark and Sharon Kelly, Aidan Mulligan, Christy Browne, Thomas Butler, Jeffrey Howes, Noel Tynan, Edwin Carey, and Aonghus Leydon.
A jury will not be required,” defense barrister Colman Cody SC told Ms Justice Patricia Ryan just after 10am in court room seven, signaling his client would plead guilty rather than face a trial that had been expected to last three to four weeks with approximately 28 prosecution witnesses.
Standing in the dock with his hands clasped in front of him, Carey showed no emotion as he responded “guilty” to each charge put before him. The court heard that while the charges involved fraudulent cancer claims, Carey does have “genuinely significant” health issues including a heart condition that required surgery last year.
While the case involved fraudulently claiming to have cancer, Mr. Carey does have genuinely significant health issues,” Cody told the court, adding that evidence from his surgeons could be provided. The defense also indicated there were mental health issues, with a psychological report to be prepared before sentencing.
The charges carry maximum sentences of five years in prison under Section 6 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001, while two counts of using a false instrument carry potential 10-year sentences under Section 26.
An image that has since gone viral on social media appears to show Carey lying in a hospital bed with what looks like an iPhone charging cable taped to his face, allegedly sent to victims to support his cancer claims. The photo became widely circulated on WhatsApp groups across Ireland.
Carey’s guilty pleas come amid a backdrop of significant financial troubles. In May 2011, Allied Irish Bank secured a High Court judgment against him for €9.5 million, mostly arising from a €7.85 million loan secured on properties at Mount Juliet in Kilkenny and the K Club in Kildare.
In a controversial settlement that sparked calls for parliamentary investigation, AIB agreed in 2017 to write down Carey’s debt to just €60,000 – representing a 99.4% reduction. Properties linked to Carey at the golf resorts were sold in 2014 and 2015, generating €1.8 million toward debt reduction.
“You borrow money, it should be paid back,” Carey had told RTÉ’s Ray D’Arcy radio show in 2015, adding that “to whatever extent that can be, I would still be conscious it has to be done.”
AIB’s retail banking chief Jim O’Keeffe later told an Oireachtas committee that the bank offers “no special deals for special individuals” and that debt write-offs were “consistent across the board,” though he acknowledged the commentary had “caused a lot of upset for customers.”
Judge Ryan granted an extension of legal aid after the court heard Carey had “no income whatsoever.” The sentencing hearing was set for October 29, expected to last approximately an hour and a half.
Denis Joseph Carey, born November 11, 1970, is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers of all time. Hurling, an ancient Gaelic sport played with wooden sticks called hurleys and a small leather ball called a sliotar, is considered the world’s fastest field sport and has been played in Ireland for over 3,000 years.
During his illustrious career from 1989 to 2005, Carey captained Kilkenny to All-Ireland success in 2003 and was part of victorious teams in 1992, 1993, 2000, and 2002. He won nine All-Star awards and was named Hurler of the Year in 2000.
Since retiring, Carey managed the Kilkenny U21 hurlers and served as a selector for the county senior team in 2019. His son Mikey currently plays for the Kilkenny senior hurling panel.
Carey’s sister, Catriona, was a member of the Ireland women’s field hockey team, while his brother Martin also played hurling for Kilkenny. However, Catriona has faced her own legal troubles related to alleged mortgage fraud schemes.
The case represents a stunning downfall for a man who once dined with Tiger Woods during the golfer’s visit to Ireland and whose retirement at age 27 prompted thousands of letters from fans urging him to reconsider – which he did, returning to win more All-Ireland titles.
For those who weren’t around to remember him at his peak, it is hard to overemphasize what a superstar DJ Carey was to the sport of hurling around the turn of the millennium,” noted one court observer. “He was the standout player in a wonderful team that occupied the front pages of newspapers as much as the back pages.”
Financial Times columnist Simon Kuper once wrote that hurling was “the best sport ever and if the Irish had colonized the world, nobody would ever have heard of football.” The sport, which combines elements of field hockey, lacrosse, and baseball, is played by teams of 15 players who score by hitting the sliotar either into a net for three points or over a crossbar for one point.
Carey now awaits sentencing in what prosecutors describe as a “heavily documented prosecution” involving years of deception against people who believed they were helping a sporting hero battle a devastating illness.
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