After pleading guilty in the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Court on Tuesday, Ray Morgan, the man accused of swindling veteran reggae songstress Marcia Griffiths out of $4.8 million, will begin making restitution payments to her next week.
When the accused, represented by attorney-at-law Orville Morgan appeared before Senior Parish Judge Lori-Anne Cole Montaque; he entered a guilty plea to two counts of obtaining money by false pretence.
In June, it was reported that Griffiths had lost almost $5 million to a phishing scam in a fake real estate deal instigated by Morgan, prompting the police to launch an investigation.
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 authorities.