At his Wednesday court appearance, the man accused of fleecing accomplished reggae icon Marcia Griffiths out of millions of dollars was remanded until October 4.
It was explained to the judge that not all of the relevant paperwork had been submitted. Additionally, the court requested a background report for the man.
After reports surfaced in June that Griffiths had lost almost $5 million to the phishing scam in a fake real estate deal, the authorities launched an investigation.
According to the police, the individual was just freed after serving nearly 12 years in prison for fraud. The Fraud Squad subsequently charged him with collecting money employing false pretence. He has been in lockup for the past three months.
Investigators with the Fraud Squad said that the individual approached the reggae songstress in June 2021 and promised her a “bargain” on a piece of property in lieu of US$30,000 and J$250,000, which she eventually paid.
According to the court documents, the accused assured Griffiths that he and his partners could offer her $500,000 to buy a house. Nonetheless, she would be required to pay US$30,000 in addition to J$250,000 in taxes and stamp duty.
After discovering that the man had duped her, the 72-year-old songbird reported the incident to the police.
