The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A FILING clerk at the post office in Mayaguana spent her birthday in prison and will serve three months behind bars after admitting to defrauding her employer of over $3,000 in cash.

Akeisha Simms admitted to defrauding the Abraham's Bay Post Office of $3070 between August 10 and November 22, 2017, and again in May of this year when arraigned before Magistrate Samuel McKinney yesterday.

Simms, who turned 32 yesterday, was ordered to serve three months on each of her six fraud-related charges, to run concurrently, and further ordered to pay back the $3070.

Failure to pay the money back would result in her facing an additional three months in prison.

According to the prosecutor, Sergeant Tamika Gibson, Simms fraudulently obtained $1,170 in cash from the post office between the aforementioned dates in 2017, then $1,900 on May 7 of this year.

She also forged two post office savings books in her name as well as that of her niece, Neveayah Pinder on two separate occasions, to make it appear as if there was $1,905.84 in savings on each of those accounts.

According to a summary of the facts read off by the prosecutor, the Mayaguana post office operates in similar fashion to that of a bank. A general ledge is maintained and each customer has their own savings book that reflects their savings balance.

In July, Mayaguana island administrator Marlon Neely, acting on information, made checks of Simms' post office savings books and discovered that figures were seemingly inserted in them that falsified her balance.

An investigation was also conducted of Pinder's savings books, which also revealed that figures were inserted in her savings book to alter the balance. And as a result of those discrepancies, Simms was able to make withdrawals from both accounts that totaled $3,070.

After discovering the issue, the police were informed. Simms was ultimately arrested. On Monday, during her interview under caution, she admitted to the offence, and said she needed the funds the assist her family.

Simms' attorney Mario Gray, in making a plea of mitigation, noted that his client did not waste any time by not only pleading guilty in court, but admitting to police as well as the island administrator of her wrongdoings.

Mr Gray also noted that his client worked at the post office for 12 years without incident, and that her actions last year and in May of this year suggests something likely happened to her financially that caused her to feel that committing the crimes in question was "the only way out".

Mr Gray thus asked for Magistrate McKinney to suspend any conviction give his client an opportunity to "rectify her wrongs" via community service, as she has seen the "folly of her ways".

However, Magistrate McKinney said while he considered Mr Gray's submissions, Simms' charges were "very serious" ones that showed she "breached" the trust the post office's customers placed in her to handle their deposits.

Magistrate McKinney also said while the amount of money involved, as well as Simms' age, lack of antecedents, and her early guilty pleas all went to her credit, a custodial sentence was warranted in the circumstances and that a message needed to be sent to those considering to commit similar offences.

Simms has a right to appeal his decision to the Court of Appeal within seven days from yesterday.