ST JAMES, Jamaica — A man who was initially denied bail, on the grounds that a suspended sentence from a previous fraud conviction had not kept him from reoffending, was on Thursday granted bail in the sum of $600,000.

St James resident Damion Green and three other individuals have been charged in connection with a scam that fleeced a Montego Bay business establishment of nearly $3 million. They are before the St James Parish court in connection with fraudulently encashed cheques.

Green is charged with conspiracy to defraud. His co-accused are Nathaniel Headley, Roshane Samuels and Lorraine Ferguson.

On Thursday, after a successful application by Green’s attorney, Adrian Dayes, sitting parish judge, Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley granted Green bail with up to two sureties.

As part of his bond, he is required to report to the Lucea Police Station on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Ferguson remains behind bars, having failed to take up an offer of bail in the sum of $1 million put on the table during her last court appearance. It is unclear why she was not transported to court by the police on Thursday. The Crown is awaiting a document that it believes will link her to the crime.

The allegations are that Headley went to a Montego Bay business establishment on December 22, 23, and 29 in 2022 to encash cheques in the name of Anthony Williams.

He returned on December 30 to encash four more cheques, arousing the complainant’s suspicions.

All the cheques were later discovered to be fraudulent.

The court was told that Headley told the complainant he was not Anthony Williams and the driver’s licence he used to encash the cheques was similarly forged. Additionally, he admitted that he, Samuels and Green shared the proceeds from the previous transactions.

Ferguson was charged on the basis that the link was made through her. She was employed by the company from which the cheques were stolen and had access to the company’s cheques, the court was told.

On Thursday, Headley’s attorney, Chumu Paris, requested that mediation be considered in the case. Judge Smith-Ashley suggested restorative justice and, after all parties agreed, issued an order to that effect. Samuels’ bail has been extended until April 13 when the four defendants are due back in court.