Exclusive: How Fraudster Samantha Cookes Infiltrated A Celbridge Church And Won Trust Of Members

At The Bridge Church, Cookes gained the trust of congregation members quickly.

When a soft-spoken woman with a posh English accent arrived at The Bridge Church in Celbridge in late 2023, she introduced herself to Pastor Matt Ryals as Sadie Harris.

She claimed to have just landed from Los Angeles, where she had spent the past decade working as a nanny.

Her stories were dramatic, her presence charming - all of them were lies.

Her real name was Samantha Cookes.

And what seemed like a fresh start was actually the continuation of a well-documented pattern of deception.

Cookes, now serving a three-year prison sentence for fraud, gained notoriety in Ireland for faking terminal illness to fraudulently obtain more than €60,000 in social welfare benefits.

She also falsely accused a Celbridge family of owing her thousands of euro in unpaid wages and left a trail of fabricated identities across multiple counties.

At The Bridge Church, Cookes gained the trust of congregation members quickly.

“She just said things that didn’t feel authentic,” Ryals recalled. “It was like someone trying to sound American, but using phrases from a film script - ‘That’s so L.A.’ People don’t talk like that.”

Ryals, originally from the United States, says he grew suspicious almost immediately. But it wasn’t just the odd Americanisms.

At a Connect Lunch - a casual Q&A session for newcomers - Cookes arrived with a large legal notepad and began asking strange, probing questions, some targeting the pastor’s character and even his ability to be a husband.

“She brought up a joke I had made about forgetting my wedding anniversary,” he said. “She claimed her church in the U.S. thought I was unfit to lead. It was surreal.”

Another time, she criticised Ryals for making a passing reference to Donald Trump, suggesting he had insulted the former U.S. president.

Despite the red flags, Cookes integrated deeply with the community.

She formed close friendships with several women, joined them at the gym, and spent time in their homes - sometimes in the presence of their children.

“She left emotional damage,” Ryals said. “There were at least two women who thought they had made a real friend. Then suddenly she was gone - and it all unraveled.”

Her unmasking came via a podcast link sent to Ryals by a friend. The episode revealed her true identity: Samantha Cookes, not Sadie Harris.

A quick search confirmed it. Her history was well-documented.

Cookes had used multiple aliases, manipulated dozens of people, and fabricated elaborate lies about her health and background.

Though Cookes never held an official position in the church, she expressed interest in volunteering - particularly for a Mother’s Day event.

She claimed to have “containers full of supplies” from her family’s business, which she said operated factories in Israel.

“We never saw any of it,” said Ryals.

You can listen to the full interview with Matt Ryals below.

The second part of the Bad Nanny TV documentary will air tonight at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and both episodes are streaming now on RTÉ Player.