The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

ONE man and five women were placed on 12 months’ probation and ordered to compensate a marketing agency they defrauded two years ago, after they pleaded guilty to a string of fraud-related charges in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

The defendants appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes charged with possession of forged documents, uttering forged documents and fraud by means of false pretences, after they were accused of defrauding HR Business Solutions of more than $40,000 with fraudulent FirstCaribbean International Bank (FCIB) cheques between August and September of 2018.

According to the prosecution, Carlos Valdes, 37, was found in possession of a fraudulent FCIB cheque on August 31, 2018. Prosecutors said he uttered the forged document to draw $2,500 from an account in the name of HR Business Solutions, which he then made payable to himself to obtain the cash that same day. After pleading guilty, he was ordered to compensate HR Business Solutions $2,500.

Likewise, Arnell Armbrister, 24, was also accused of forging and uttering a $2,500 cheque to obtain money from the same company’s account on August 30, 2018. She was also accused of committing the same offences to obtain another $3,200 on September 21, 2018. After admitting to the offences, she was ordered to repay HR Business Solutions $5,700.

It is alleged Kendrea Smith, 28, forged and uttered a $1,200 cheque which was drawn from the marketing agency’s account on August 2, 2018. It is further alleged she forged and uttered another cheque to obtain $2,000 two weeks later. During the hearing, Smith pleaded guilty. She was ordered to repay HR Business Solutions $3,200.

Anavia Thompson, 22, was accused of forging and uttering a cheque on August 23, 2018 to obtain $2,500 from HR Business Solutions’ account. She and Smith were also charged with conspiracy to commit fraud after they were accused of conspiring together to commit fraud that same day. After pleading guilty, she was ordered to compensate HR Business Solutions $2,500.

Giselle Capernaus, 30, was accused of forging a $2,500 cheque and uttering the same to obtain the funds from the company’s bank account on August 30, 2018. She also pleaded guilty and was ordered to compensate the marketing agency for the funds she stole.

Finally, the prosecution alleged that Chiquia Rolle, 26, was found in possession of a forged FCIB cheque in the amount of $3,200 on September 20, 2018, which she then made payable to herself to obtain cash from HR Business Solutions’ account that same day. She was ordered to repay HR Business Solutions $3,200. During the hearing, Rolle was also charged for disorderly behaviour after she pulled away from the female officers that were escorting into the Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

She was discharged after her lawyer explained that she only resisted because she “really needed to use the bathroom”.

Prosecutor Lincoln McKenzie said the owner of HR Business Solutions told police that she was reviewing her cheque logs on September 24, 3018, when she noticed a number of fraudulent cheques with a combined value of $43,800. Sgt McKenzie said she filed an official complaint with the Financial Crime Unit and an investigation was launched. This led to the arrest of the defendants, who admitted to the offences in an interview with police. Sgt McKenzie said the officers were also able to break up the fraud ring, although they were still looking for two suspects who they suspected were the “ring leaders of the operation.”

During the hearing, Valdes was represented by attorney Barry Sawyer. He told the magistrate that his client was prepared to make restitution to the virtual complainant. Likewise, attorney Ian Cargill, who represented Armbrister and Smith, noted that Armbrister was a mother of a six-month-old, while Smith was a single mother who was raising two boys. During his plea in mitigation, Mr Cargill said that both defendants were extremely remorseful and insisted they were used as pawns by the leaders of the fraud ring. Attorneys Roberto Reckley and Krystal Smith represented Rolle and Capernaus respectively. Mr Reckley noted that his client was the mother of three young children aged one, three and four. Mrs Smith, on the other hand, told the magistrate her client only found herself in her situation because she trusted someone she shouldn’t have.

After listening to the pleas in mitigation from the defendants’ counsel, Magistrate Forbes told them that the offences they committed were serious and carried a penalty of five years in prison if they were convicted. He also noted that all of the defendants were adults and told them they needed to realise that their decisions not only impacted themselves, but everyone who is connected to them.

“I need all of you to appreciate from this day forward that your actions have consequences,” he stated.

All of the defendants were subsequently placed on probation for one year. Magistrate Forbes also gave them until August 30 to pay back HR Business Solutions the money they defrauded.