“Banker” allegedly steals man’s identity to withdraw $36M from bank account

Apr 04, 2025 News

Kaieteur News- Twenty-three-year-old Shemaiah Ryan, called ‘Banker’, was charged on Friday for allegedly stealing $36M from a couple’s joint bank account. He is accused of stealing the husband’s identity to carry-out his fraudulent scheme which has landed him before the court facing a total of 48 charges.

“Banker” allegedly steals man’s identity to withdraw $36M from bank account

Shemaiah Ryan, called ‘Banker’

Police said that he was charged with 25 counts of simple larceny totaling some $4,829,000 committed on Bernadette and Carl Peterkin. He was also charged with 23 counts of conspiracy to commit computer related fraud where he stole some $31,615,000 from the same victims.

Ryan appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Fabayo Azore to answer to the charges. He pleaded not guilty and was granted $50,000 bail for each charge which amounted to a total of $2.4M.

He is expected to return to court on May 16, 2025.

Police investigation alleged that Ryan conspired with others back in September 2022, to create a fake Identification Card (ID Card) in the name Carl Peterkin-one of the joint holders of a bank account at a popular bank in the city.

He then allegedly visited the bank posing as Carl Peterkin, requested an ATM card for the account and signed-up for internet banking. The next step in his alleged fraudulent scheme was contacting two women he has been acquainted with for a number of the years to the withdraw the monies for him.

Police alleged that he tricked the women identified as Donna Edwards and her daughter Chelsea Edwards, into believing that he was a government contractor building roads in Berbice and wanted them to facilitate the transfer of monies into their accounts so he can pay his workers on time. The plan was that they would then draw out the transferred cash from their accounts and hand it over to Ryan.

According to police investigations 13 cash transfers totaling $17,997,000 were made from the couple’s account between September 2 and September 19, 2022 o to one of the women’s account.

Thirteen more cash transfers totaling $13,618,000 were done to the second account between September 7 and 27, 2022.

The mother and daughter later withdrew the cash from their accounts and allegedly gave them to Ryan.

Police added that the suspect also used the ATM card he fraudulently obtained, 27 times, at several of the bank’s ATM locations across Georgetown, to withdraw a total of 4,829,000.

He was reportedly captured on security cameras making each of the withdrawals.

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