Just a few days after the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) charged an East Bank Demerara (EBD) man for defrauding a woman on Facebook, a 56-year-old man from Berbice was Friday charged with Conspiracy to Defraud.
John Patrick Lewis of Williamsburg village, Corentyne, Berbice, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Leron Daly where he pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Charged: John Patrick Lewis
Based on reports received by SOCU, John Patrick Lewis, who is a carpenter, was the recipient of $146,500 sent by the victim with the understanding that she would receive a money laundering certificate to clear her expensive package sent by her ‘Facebook boyfriend.’
He was alleged to have acted as a third party for another person who befriended the victim via the said Facebook connection. Lewis is just one of the four recipients to whom the victim sent money. SOCU has since said that they are currently looking for the others.
The victim claimed she sent the money to Lewis after she was instructed to do so by her ‘Facebook boyfriend’, who provided her with all of Patrick’s personal information. She said she sent the money using a Western Union money transfer.
To date, the woman said she has never received any package and her Facebook boyfriend has since disappeared. The matter was investigated by SOCU and the suspect was arrested and charged. He was represented by Attorney-at-Law Euclin Gomes. SOCU was represented by attorney Towanna Hardy. Lewis was released on $50,000 bail and the case will continue on September 2.
On Tuesday last, SOCU instituted similar charges against Jaffon Hinds of Downer Street, Grove, East Bank Demerara.
Hinds, who is a production administrator at Caribbean Containers Incorporated, collected a total sum of $502,340 from his victim. The payments were made on three separate occasions. He was alleged to have acted as a third party for another person who befriended the victim via Facebook.
The victim claimed she sent the money to Hinds using a Western Union money transfer after she was instructed to do so by her Facebook ‘boyfriend’, who also promised her a huge package with lots of expensive items, but she said she never received any of the items.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), Assistant Commissioner Fizal Karimbaksh is once again calling on all Guyanese to be vigilant against package delivery and romance scams.
