Quartet in fraudulent cheque scheme repaying money
ST JAMES, Jamaica— Four St James residents are currently making restitution following their involvement in a cheque scheme, resulting in a Montego Bay businessman being swindled out of more than $2 million through the encashing of bogus cheques.
Roshane Samuels, Damion Green, Nathaniel Headley and Loraine Ferguson are charged with obtaining money by means of a forged document.
They are represented by attorneys-at-law Adrian Dayes, Chumu Paris, Martyn Thomas and Tamika Davis.
When the matter was called up for mention in the St James Parish Court on Thursday, the complainant indicated to the court that they had gone through restorative justice and that the agreement was for $300,000 to be paid to him on the first of each month, but he only received $100,000.
“I don’t know if this restorative justice will make sense,” the complainant said.
At that moment, Paris, who represents Headley, informed the court that there appears to be a challenge because Ferguson was not included in the agreement.
A brief adjournment was made so that Ferguson could formalise her agreement with a mediator who was present in court.
When the matter was revisited, the court was informed that Ferguson had been added to the agreement, but that $200,000 remained unpaid.
“Two of you are outstanding…you know who you are…whatever happens, by May 1, a total of $500,000 must be paid,” the judge said, before setting the matter for mention on May 10.
Their bails were extended.
Headley allegedly went to a Montego Bay business establishment on December 22, 23, and 29 last year to encash cheques in the name of Anthony Williams, then returned on December 30 to encash four more cheques, which aroused the complainant’s suspicions.
All of the cheques were later discovered to be fraudulent.
Headley admitted to the complainant that he was not Anthony Williams and that the driver’s licence he used to encash the cheques was similarly forged. He also confessed that the proceeds from the earlier transactions were split between him and two of the other defendants.
It is alleged that the link was made through Ferguson, who was employed to the company and had access to the company’s cheques.