The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

TRIBUNE STAFF REPORTER

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 30-year-old man who stole nearly $10,000 from a ScotiaBank ATM machine last month was ordered to compensate the local bank or risk spending a year behind bars.

Travis Seymour was accused of stealing $4,040 from a ScotiaBank Bahamas Limited ATM machine located at Super Club Breezes Resort and Spa on July 28. The prosecution further alleged Seymour stole another $5,400 from the same ATM machine two days later on July 30.

The court was told a ScotiaBank employee went to the Financial Intelligence Unit to report that someone had stolen two large sums of money sometime between July 28 and 30. Police were able to identify the defendant as the culprit from video footage they obtained of the incident. According to the prosecution, Seymour eventually turned himself into the Grove Police Station. In an interview with officers there, he admitted to the offences.

During the hearing, Seymour’s attorney said he had children and was the primary breadwinner for his family. She also claimed he only took the money due to pressure he experienced because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the hurricane that recently passed. Seymour’s counsel claimed someone had sent the defendant “codes,” so he went to the ATM machine to see if they were “valid”. She insisted her client was extremely remorseful for his actions and noted he cooperated with the investigation since he turned himself in to a police station.

As a result, after accepting Seymour’s guilty pleas, Magistrate Samuel McKinney fined him $1,000 for stealing. He further ordered the defendant to compensate ScotiaBank $9,440 and warned Seymour if he failed to do so, he would spend one year at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.