ST CATHERINE, Jamaica — A St Catherine man is to return to court next month to answer to fraud charges in relation to a divorce settlement.

The accused is Octavious Forbes otherwise called Jerry.

The Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) reported that some time in 2016, Forbes met the complainant and offered to assist him in starting his divorce process for an initial fee of $70,000.

It is said that the following year, the complainant requested that Forbes put a hold on the divorce proceedings, and he demanded a further sum of $40,000 to do so. He subsequently provided a Decree Absolute to the couple.

Following investigations, MOCA detectives carried out a sting operation during which Forbes was arrested.

He was charged with forgery and obtaining money under false pretence following an identification parade on Wednesday, December 2.

Forbes appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court two days later and was remanded into custody and the matter postponed for him to reappear on January 6, 2021.

In light of the foregoing, MOCA is urging the public to be mindful of individuals who claim to offer the service of divorce settlements, as this process can only be legally executed by an attorney-at-law through the Supreme Court.