Sara-Jayne Makwala King10 July 2025 | 4:07

Sports star admits faking cancer to scam thousands of people, including a billionaire

DJ Carey pleaded guilty to deceiving victims by posing as a cancer patient to solicit money.

Sports star admits faking cancer to scam thousands of people, including a billionaire

Hospital drip, patient, medical treatment. Unsplash/Olga Kononenko

An Irish hurling star has pleaded guilty to ten counts of fraud after suspicions were raised that he had lied about having cancer.

DJ Carey managed to scam members of the public into giving him money when they believed he was ill.

The 54-year-old admitted deception at Dublin's Criminal Courts of Justice, confessing that between 2014 and 2022, he posed as a cancer patient to solicit money under false pretences. 

"In Ireland, he's a bit of a superstar. He's won five All-Ireland (Hurling) titles."
- Adam Gilchrist
"He pretended to have cancer to trick people into giving him money, including an Irish billionaire... to fund his cancer treatment."
- Adam Gilchrist

In one instance, Carey took a photograph of himself posing in bed with an iPhone charging cable taped under his nose to mimic an oxygen tube.

"He pictured himself, supposedly in a hospital bed with a tube up his nose to prove he had cancer."
- Adam Gilchrist
"It turned out he was in a normal bed with an iPhone cable taped to his face."
- Adam Gilchrist

Carey is due to be sentenced in October.

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