DJ Carey was jailed for five and a half years during the week for taking 400,000 under false pretences from 13 victims in his fake cancer scam.
Disgraced conman DJ Carey has repaid two GAA stars €15,000 after they threatened to expose his deceit.
The two individuals, one a footballer and the other a hurler, lent him the money several years ago for his fabricated cancer treatment after he approached them following a charity golf classic.
The two sportsmen provided him with the cash. However, a few years later when rumours began to circulate that it was all a scam, they put significant pressure on him to repay them.
READ MORE: Cancer fraudster GAA hero ‘probably took closer to €2million’, says author of new book on disgraced hurlerREAD MORE: Joe Brolly brands DJ Carey ‘a lost soul’ after former hurling star sentenced to prison
One GAA legend was present when DJ initially approached the two players for the cash.
He stated: “He asked me directly for fifteen grand and I said ‘No’. I didn’t really have it at the time to be honest, I didn’t really trust him.”, reports the Irish Mirror.
“I also knew of another person who had offered to help but wanted the name of the hospital in America so he could send the money directly to them for the treatment but DJ never supplied it.
“In the end my two friends, both of whom are household names, out of the goodness of their heart gave him the cash.
“DJ told them he needed it for urgent life saving stem cell treatment in the United States. They took him at his word and believed him. They both told DJ it was a loan, not a donation, and they would need the money back. They were giving him the money out of their own life savings.”
However, when rumours started circulating within the GAA that the Kilkenny hurler was not as ill as he claimed, they put serious pressure on him to return their cash.
The source said: “They went and tracked him down and demanded their cash within weeks or otherwise they were going to go public and expose him.
“They also threatened to tell the Gardai that he was taking money under false pretences. They put the fear of God into DJ and he got the money from somewhere – he probably conned another poor victim to pay them back.
“One way or the other the two lads got their fifteen grand back and were probably among the few people who were ever repaid by DJ Carey.
“The vast majority of people who he asked for loans were stung and far too embarrassed to contact the Gardai. They just took the hit and moved on.”
Carey received a five and a half year prison sentence this week after being convicted of obtaining €400,000 under false pretences from 13 victims through his fraudulent cancer scheme.
Associates say he perpetrated the deception for at least 13 years before Gardai apprehended him in 2023.
The disgraced hurling icon is now expected to be held at Mountjoy Prison for several months to a year before transferring to an open prison facility.
A prison source said: “DJ Carey has no history of violence and is not a threat to other prisoners. He has committed a white collar crime and such inmates are normally kept in an open prison or somewhere which is not as strict.
“However, because of overcrowding that is not really possible at the moment. But every prisoner – white collar or not – is expected to serve at least 20pc of their time in a closed prison unit.
“DJ could himself make an application to be moved out of Mountjoy but any decision about moving him will be made in due course by the operations team within the Irish Prison Service.
“The medical team in Mountjoy are keeping a close eye on him as he was recently diagnosed with a medical condition that has not been disclosed.
“He failed to show up for his initial sentencing hearing because he went to AandE at a Galway Hospital.
“He will also be psychiatrically assessed by the prison medical team which is normal procedure for all new prisoners admitted to Irish jails.”
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