Catherine the Fake: Who is the Cork woman at the centre of six fraud investigations?

Gardaí describe Catherine O'Brien as a “person of interest” in their investigations into fraud in the sale of horses. Picture: Irish Mail on Sunday

Gardaí believe a woman at the centre of a major fraud investigation in the horse racing industry is hiding out somewhere in Ireland.

Corkwoman Catherine O’Brien, originally from Buttevant but with an address in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, is wanted for questioning by gardaí investigating allegations of fraud in the sale of racehorses over the last three to four years.

She has not lived at her Dungarvan address for several months but gardaí do not believe she has left the country.

Detectives are appealing to anyone who may have been a victim of fraud in the industry, and who hasn’t reported it, to come forward, as they seek to expand their case. They are also hoping that people with knowledge of Ms O’Brien’s whereabouts will come forward.

The house owned by Catherine O'Brien in Dungarvan. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Today, the Irish Examiner publishes the first half of a two-part investigation into the activities of Ms O’Brien, who was the subject of a High Court judgment in February in favour of the Criminal Assets Bureau. 

The judgment allowed the bureau to seize a Landrover Discovery it claimed was bought by her with the proceeds of criminal fraud.

Ms O’Brien has issued judicial review proceedings against the Director of Public Prosecutions following her conviction, in her absence, in June 2021 for 34 counts of animal welfare legislation breaches relating to horses seized in Co Wexford. A bench warrant was issued for her arrest following her conviction.

Gardaí describe her as a “person of interest” in their investigations into fraud in the sale of horses.

Off the radar

One garda source said: “We don’t believe she has left the country. How she is hiding out, we don’t know. She is obviously being facilitated by somebody because she has no obvious means of income or anything like that. It is an unusual one for us.” 

He added: “She is very much gone off the radar at the moment and we are actively looking for her and we are looking for any information on her.” 

Ms O’Brien has not been claiming any social welfare payments, and there has been no bank account activity that can lead detectives to her whereabouts.

She failed to appear in court in Waterford in April in a case being taken by the State in which she was the main witness in a case against two men accused of a single count of demanding money with menace from her in September 2019.

A garda spokesman appealed to people in the horse industry who have been victims of fraud to come forward.

He said: “If somebody has been subject to what they believe to be criminal activity or been subject to some sort of a fraud by anybody, including Catherine O’Brien, then they should come forward and report it to us.”

Listen to the full story of Catherine the Fake on podcast:

Part One: A mistress of reinvention

 

Part Two: Gold digging on Waterford's copper coast

 

Part Three: A long way from Clare to here

 

Part Four: Horses for courses

Part Five: Vatican trip before €300k con

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