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Men impersonate police commander, collect $800,000 bribe – court hears
Two men who impersonated the then acting Commander of Police B Division, Senior Superintendent Kevin Adonis, last October, thus obtaining over $800,000 from a woman by fraud have been charged.
Jason Thomas
The men are Jason Thomas, 28, of No 2 Village, East Canje Berbice and Leon Hart, 19, of Cumberland, East Canje Berbice. They appeared on Monday before Magistrate Rhondell Weaver in the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court.
They are charged with obtaining from Destiny Harris the sum of $800,000 while purporting to be the acting Police Commander on October 23, last in the vicinity of the Central Police Station, New Amsterdam.
The case for the prosecution is that on the day in question Thomas, who is well known to the woman, telephoned her and informed her that he was the acting Commander of Berbice and was in a position to release her husband who was incarcerated in a serious matter.
It was subsequently revealed that the person who spoke to the woman was not the commander, but the impersonator Jason Thomas.
The issue had stemmed from the arrest and subsequent remand of France,51 of lot 55 Palmyra Village who was charged with having in his possession one 9 mm pistol and 13 live rounds around 01:00 hrs on Saturday October 22, last, at Palmyra, East Coast Berbice without being the holder of the relevant licence.
France was held after ranks on a mobile patrol stopped motor car PVV 2423 which was being driven by France in the vicinity of Vryheid Road, West Canje, Berbice.
He sped away sparking a high speed chase along the New Amsterdam public road which ended at his Palmyra home. France was subsequently searched and the gun and ammunition were discovered in the car. He was arrested and charged and pleaded not guilty before being remanded to jail.
Subsequently a recorded conversation allegedly between the man’s wife and someone purporting to be the Commander surfaced concerning a $1M bribe being offered for the release of France. The voice was later traced to Jason Thomas who is well known to the police.
Thomas had used cell phones 678-9963 which has the recording and 696 8378 to make the calls. After the agreement was reached between him and the woman, he informed her to wait in the vicinity of the Central Police Station and he would send someone to collect the money from her.
A sum of $800,000 of the agreed $1M amount was paid over by the woman to someone, who turned out to be Hart. This accomplice told her he was sent by the Commander to collect the money and to have the man released and ‘done the story’.
Thomas was subsequently arrested and placed in custody. He was released on station bail.
Diligent investigation led to Hart’s arrest.
A file was prepared and sent to the DPP and advice was received that the men be charged.
In court, Thomas who is well known to the authorities was a no show. Thomas who also lives in a hotel in New Amsterdam had given his address as Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara, when he and another man from Canje were charged in another matter of robbery with aggravation in Demerara on February 27, last.
Hart was granted bail in the sum of $150,000, but could not afford the bail and was remanded to jail.
The matter has been set for March 3 for continuation in the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court.
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