PROSECUTORS yesterday introduced video evidence in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court against a Morant Bay man they accuse of defrauding the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) and some of its clients of more than $2.5 million last year.

According to the prosecutors, Michael Johnson is behind a scam in which he transferred money from the accounts of unsuspecting JNBS savers to his account, which he set up in Morant Bay.

Three video cassettes were presented as evidence to the court by Patrick Barrett, head of security at JNBS. The tapes were copies of surveillance video from the building society’s branches islandwide to record all activities.

Presiding judge, Martin Gayle, left the bench and sat in the area reserved for lawyers so he could view the tapes.

According to the prosecuting lawyer, Garth McBean, Johnson is guilty of withdrawing monies from JNBS’ Morant Bay, Linstead, New Kingston and Duke Street branches.

The tapes showed a man, who the prosecution claimed to be Johnson, doing transactions at the Linstead, New Kingston and Morant Bay branches. However, only one of the tapes gave a clear view of the man’s facial features.

It is alleged that Johnson illegally transferred $1.4 million from a Montego Bay account to his saving account in Morant Bay. He then went to the Morant Bay branch and allegedly withdrew the funds on April 9, last year. The prosecution also alleged that on the same day, Johnson fraudulently converted $743,000 from JNBS’ Duke Street branch and $310,000 from the Grenada Crescent branch in New Kingston.

Only three days before, on April 6, the accused is said to have withdrawn $620,000 from the company’s Linstead branch.

Johnson, who was represented by attorney Althea Grant, was remanded in custody until September 25 and 26 when the case will again come before the court. The case is set for two days because of the large number of witnesses that the prosecution proposes to bring before the court, including tellers and account holders who were allegedly fleeced.