Couple on fraud charge given May 1 court date

WESTERN BUREAU:

A Westmoreland couple who are before the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on several counts of fraud dating back to 2011, are to repay money in one of their cases when they return to court on May 1.

André Poorman, who is from George's Plain in Westmoreland, is jointly charged with Latesha Saunders for fraudulent conversion, obtaining money by false pretence and conspiracy to defraud. Saunders had her bail extended and Poorman was remanded in police custody when the pair came before the court on Tuesday.

The allegations in one of their matters is that sometime in 2011, Poorman went to a drink distribution company in Freeport, Montego Bay, and placed an order with a cheque valued at over $300,000. However, the cheque was not cleared at the bank.

In the couple's other case before the court, it is alleged that sometime in August 2013, the two defendants, while purporting to be the operators of a tour company, approached the complainants and asked them to lease their buses to their purported bus fleet, and also collected $2 million from them to purchase new buses. However, when the new buses were not forthcoming, the two complainants made a police report, and Poorman was subsequently arrested on August 28, while Saunders was held on September 24.

Outstanding balance

When Poorman and Saunders appeared in court on Tuesday, clerk of the court Reginald England told presiding magistrate Wilson Smith that there is an outstanding balance on one of the fraud matters, in which Saunders has been making restitution.

"There should be a balance of $75,000, and she (Saunders) is saying she does not have the money today, but she is expecting it by next week Thursday, May 1. She is the one bringing the money for the settlement, since she is on bail," said England.

"The matter will be mentioned next week before my sister judge ... endeavour to bring the balance by then," RM Smith told the defendants as he set the case for mention on May 1.