ST ANDREW, Jamaica — A fraudster who targeted Marcia Griffiths and reportedly bilked her of almost $5 million in a bogus real estate deal, was dragged before the St Andrew Parish Court on Tuesday, where he was remanded until September 8.

The man was subsequently charged with obtaining money by means of false pretence. The accused, who has been identified as Ray Morgan, was recently released from prison after serving nearly 12 years for fraud.

Court documents showed that the man was charged last week by the Fraud Squad and has been placed behind bars. Fraud Squad detectives say the accused man collected US$30,000 and J$250,000 from the Electric Boogie singer as payment for a property.

He had initially approached Griffiths in June 2021 and offered her a “deal”, the report said.

Under the deal, the accused man said he and his partners could lend Griffiths US$500,000 to purchase a property, but she would have to pay US$30,000 plus J$250,000 for fees and stamp duty, according to court documents filed by the police.

The Fire Burning singer called the police after she discovered that she had been defrauded by the man. Police sources say the man reportedly approached another reggae artiste with the same bogus real estate deal after defrauding Griffiths but Morgan’s overtures were reportedly rebuffed.