Catherine The Fake

How Catherine O'Brien convinced a desperate property owner she was in the pay of a Emirati prince who could solve their money worries.

Fraudster Catherine O’Brien brought one of her marks to an audience with Pope Benedict in Rome, and convinced desperate property owners she was in the pay of an Emirati prince who could solve their money worries.  

Florist turned fraudster, Catherine O'Brien, has left a trail of destruction in her wake. And now she is being hunted by Gardaí. Irish Examiner journalist, Ann Murphy, has been working on this story for many months now. Listeners to the podcasts have come back with a lot of questions about how we came across this story, how we investigated it, and some of the details that haven't been published in the podcasts to date. This Q&A with Ann Murphy and Irish Examiner news editor, Deirdre O'Shaughnessy, answers your questions.

Catherine O’Brien became a well-known figure in Ireland’s horsey set and Senator David Norris was almost woven into her ever-expanding web after she turned to him for advice.She is someone different to everyone she meets, in her bid to earn people’s trust, as a live investigation is underway into frauds she is suspected of carrying out in equine circles.Discover how she dodges those looking for her, and how innocent people who never met or heard of Catherine O’Brien find themselves fielding queries on how to locate her. See how her love for horses led to her downfall, with more than 30 animals in her care found in shocking states of emaciation, resulting in a bench warrant being issued for her arrest.As the animals remain in a horse shelter, the search for Catherine O’Brien continues and that bench warrant remains live. And as the hunt goes on, the stories of her escapades continue to emerge.

Catherine O’Brien was not only a financial fraudster but also a romance fraudster. Find out how she conned her lover out of €20,000 and tried to ensure his family signed a contract which asked that they would not “conduct any drive bys” of his house while she was there.Despite a relationship which appeared to be blossoming, this was one built on suspicion, suspense and intrigue and did not promise a happy-ever-after. But it brought a new playground for Catherine, with new friends to impress and new people to inveigle into business plans, with her focus switching from floristry to veterinary thanks to her new connections in Co Clare.She told her newfound friends of having bought a pub in west Clare, and advertised positions for the venue – but the jobs did not exist because she had not made the purchase. However, she had prestige as a business woman who had a home in Dungarvan and connections which secured corporate boxes in Croke Park. She was someone who appeared to have it all.But did she have it all? Who was this woman who had infiltrated the social scene in west Clare and earned the trust of people who later regretted having met her? 

As life goes on as normal in busy Ballinroad in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, one of the area’s most interesting characters is no longer part of the daily grind. Catherine O’Brien is now a wanted woman, with gardai and people who believe they were conned by her trying to find her.Neighbours tell of people turning up at her door to find her, while victims tell stories of how the trust she earned from them was abused.So who is Catherine O’Brien and why do gardai want to talk to her? Read on to find out how the one-time florist got involved in the pub trade, the veterinary business and the horse industry, while persuading new friends that she was an expert in legal matters. She was a business woman with connections including a link to the Vatican. She drove only the best vehicles.But Catherine the Fake tells a tale of someone who leaves a trail of destruction in her wake. See how she grabbed the attention of the Criminal Assets Bureau and hear how she is remembered as being as slippery as an eel, managing to evade law enforcement as well as those who were once close to her.