Homeless man accused of altering cheque remanded to prison

A 24-year-old homeless man accused of altering a cheque to inflate its value by $100,000 was remanded to prison on Wednesday when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Fabyo Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Romario Benjamin, of no fixed place of abode, is facing two charges related to the alleged forgery of a Bank of Guyana cheque. According to police, Benjamin attempted to defraud a man identified as Hervin D’Aguilar by presenting a forged cheque that had been altered from $99,000 to $199,000. The document in question was dated May 30, 2025.

The second charge claims that on June 2, at Church Street, Georgetown, he presented the altered cheque to D’Aguilar in an effort to pass it off as legitimate, knowing it to be forged.
When asked how he wished to plead, Benjamin told the court he did not understand, and as a result, Magistrate Azore explained that guilty “meant that you did it, while not guilty meant you didn’t do it.”
Benjamin, in response, said, “I didn’t do it,” resulting in a formal not guilty plea being entered for both charges.
The police prosecutor objected to bail, stressing that the accused had no fixed address, no employment, and no ties that would guarantee his appearance at future court hearings.
“There is strong evidence against him, and conviction is highly likely,” the prosecutor told the court, arguing that Benjamin posed a serious flight risk.
Under questioning from the magistrate, Benjamin revealed that he currently lives on the streets of Georgetown, but is originally from Berbice. He said he was unemployed, had no family support, and was unable to find work. When asked why he was not employed, Benjamin replied solemnly, “Nobody wants to hire me.”
He went on to explain that he survives on the streets with no consistent access to food. The magistrate, in response, said, “Living on the streets in this weather cannot be easy, and at least this way you’ll have somewhere to sleep and something to eat,” before ordering that he be remanded to prison. The case will continue on June 18.