The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN who last year attempted to purchase an iPhone with a fake bank card was fined $1,500 yesterday.

Police said Larrenty Munroe, 26, attempted to defraud Furniture Plus in February 2019 when he tried to buy a $3,200 iPhone from the store with a fraudulent Royal Bank of Canada card.

He pleaded guilty to one count each of fraud by false pretences, uttering a forged document and attempted fraud during an arraignment before Magistrate Samuel McKinney.

The court was told the credit risk manager of Furniture Plus told police that two men had entered their establishment. The prosecution said Munroe then handed the manager an NIB smart card and tried to purchase an Apple iPhone. After being issued a sales receipt, the accused then presented an RBC MasterCard in his name.

When the staff questioned the card’s validity, Munroe and the other man fled the store. After the matter was reported, police investigating the incident discovered that the RBC card was issued by City Bank in the United States. Munroe was eventually arrested. In an interview with police at a nearby station, he said he wasn’t a client of RBC and denied going to Furniture Plus that day. When he was shown the surveillance tape showcasing a man with his likeness, he insisted the person caught on film was not him.

During the hearing, Munroe was represented by attorney Sariah Miller. She told the magistrate the incident took place a while ago, but Munroe was recently detained during a traffic stop last week. Ms Miller said her client was a first-time offender and had no previous run-ins with the law. She also insisted Munroe was remorseful for his actions.

As a result, Magistrate McKinney fined the accused $1,500 or six months in custody.