The good-hearted people who gave a GAA legend cash for his fake cancer scam will never get their money back, it has emerged.
The star player has no assets left and has lost everything he ever owned.
Last night friends revealed that he had been living from hotels to bed and breakfasts before getting a place to stay in the south east. At one stage he was even rumoured to be sleeping in his car.
READ MORE - GAA star at centre of cancer fraud probe released without charge
Gardai have told all of the victims caught up in the con that they haven't a chance in hell of ever seeing the money back.
The sums involved range from €4,000 to more than €200,000. The player claimed he had cancer of the blood and needed life-saving stem cell treatment in America.
There is no evidence so far that he ever had the disease or paid for treatment with the money he collected.
Some of the biggest names in sports and business had helped him out and are now fully cooperating with the Garda probe.
One man who knew him and was hit for a five-figure sum said: "He doesn't have cancer, he is sick in the mind and the head.
"He is like a drug addict, he will lie and lie until he gets his fix. But his fix is money and he will literally do anything to get his hands on it.
"The Gardai have told us we will not get our money back because he has nothing left. But that's not their problem.
"They are investigating a serious crime and they are gathering all the evidence together so they can secure a conviction.
"We are all going to have to grin and bear it and hopefully get our justice if and when he is brought to court."
Another victim said: "He is a sick, sick man. You would not believe a word out of his mouth. If he was a man at all he would put his hand up and admit everything.
"But he won't, he will just keep telling lies.
"We will never get the money back. He has no assets and that's it. He had been living in hotels and B&Bs until he got a place to stay recently. There was a lot of talk around the area that he'd been sleeping in the car."
The legend was arrested and formally questioned on Wednesday before being released without charge.
Gardai say they have been inundated with complaints against him and they are chasing up all new leads as their investigations continue.
Officers have put no time frame on when they will be sending the file on the scandal to the DPP and if and when the player will be charged.
A Garda source said: "There is substantial evidence against him and the whole investigation is just going to take time. The people who were stung are naturally all very angry and want revenge. More and more victims keep coming out of the woodwork."
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