Jury finds status scammer guilty in $1.85M con
(CNS): It took the seven men and women of the jury less than three hours on Tuesday to find Judith Douglas (54) guilty of obtaining property by deception. During a two-week trial they heard how the George Town woman scammed Nathaniel Robb out of more than $1.85 million in a shocking Caymanian status con. The jury was presented with thousands of WhatsApp messages, several transcripts of calls and other documents detailing how Douglas had manipulated Robb and taken so much cash.
Douglas had denied the allegations and implied that she was merely a go-between for Robb, a dive shop owner, and a mystery contact of hers who she said knew people in high places in government and immigration and could secure Caymanian status for a price.
Douglas essentially claimed that Robb had manipulated her into finding someone he could bribe and that the messages were all part of a con he was perpetrating against his own business partners.
But the messages were exceptionally incriminating, and despite questions surrounding Robb’s gullibility and hints he may have realised that by enlisting the help of Douglas in securing Caymanian status he was doing something that was not entirely above board, he believed that she was able to help him.
That false belief was confirmed in his mind, the court heard, when he received permanent residency, wrongly believing that she had assisted. But Robb, who is originally from South Carolina in the US, had actually received residency rights based on his own eligibility.
Robb told the court that he was introduced to Douglas, who has previous convictions for conning others in a similar scam, by a friend who had told him she could help him get PR and status. Robb was keen to secure status because he wanted to open his own dive business, as at the time he was working for an existing operation on a work permit.
However, over a five-year period Douglas, who worked in special education and had no power to give anyone status, systematically took cash from Robb, making him believe the money was required for the process. She told him that most of it was being held on deposit and would be refunded.
But once he was virtually bankrupt and out of pocket to the tune of more than CI$1.85 million and still without status, he learned that Douglas was in jail as a result of the previous cons. At that point he went to the police.
Douglas was then charged and the case dragged through the courts, with one trial collapsing earlier this year when more phone messages were discovered on other devices held by Robb that related to the con. However, the case was eventually heard in full and all of the evidence put before the jury.
As the jury forewoman read out the unanimous guilty verdict, Douglas, who throughout the trial had hovered between indignation and anger, remained impassive.
A sentencing hearing was set for Wednesday morning and she was remanded in custody.
The case was presided over by visiting judge, Justice Carlisle Greaves, and prosecuted by crown counsel Toyin Salako, while Lee Halliday-Davis defended Douglas.
Category: Local News
Scums of the earth and some how they find their way to Cayman. We have our own problems to deal with. We surely must use our enforcement and laws.
The concerning thing is that this man believed that this is some kind of banana republic that he could just pay off some people and con his way into obtaining PR because he wanted to stay here and open a dive shop.
He aallegeldlygot status through his own merit, but because he tried to obtain it illegally in the first place would be grounds to revoke it in my opinion. His kind is not welcome here.
Something not right with his story, no one can be that stupid or desperate to pay over a million dollars over such a long period of time for just PR. What else was he supposedly paying for?
Blind Bartemeaus can see that woman is a lying snake. He conned her into helping him buy PR? Come on man!
What is her status? Is she Caymanian now too?
She probably will get two years and with good behaviour she will be out in no time but the Canadian who unethically took money from a joint bank account is in there for ten!
Not defending Bourchard, just showing how looney the “justice” system is here.
Umm – she got 10 years too. The maximum.
Read the article again, you anti-caymanian xenophobe!
You can see picture of Judith Douglas on Cayman Marl Road.
Something is really wrong here… is Robb really this dumb?
Poor guy, he thought it was stil the UDP days
@ 7:28 – LMAOOOOOO
It took them three hours?
Wouldn’t want appeal on the grounds of a rush to judgement. Jury has to properly review the case among themselves.
Guess following the mystery man defense strategy (remember the āBuju was driving my carā case) didnāt work out this time. Not sure which is dumber. Her defense strategy or him paying $1.8 million for something you can get for about $1,500. Da wha ya get.
Don’t forget “boom” the mystery man involved in that robbery.
Deport both of them.
Know the law! Who did he corrupt? Because she was or is still in the Govt. prison system, it doesn’t qualify her as a public official. As the law is, only a public official can be bribed, therefore, the first test has failed. lol
He thought he was paying someone “Mr Big” within or with connections to the immigration department with the sole inteniton of circumventing the legitimate process.
when it comes to money i always hesitate and think…..for a millionaire…maybe a costly lesson…think next time man!š®
I have never in my life heard of a more lying dispectable woman and such a complete idiot with lots of money in my life!
You summed it up perfectly. A crook and a rich idiot is a bad combo. Can’t believe this man was duped in to paying out that kind of money over FIVE YEARS!! She saw a donkey, and rode it. No excuse for being a deceitful, money grubbing pig, but the man was just dumb to fall for this.
This man must really have some serious skeletons in his closet to try go this route.now thats what needs looking into.
The real path is clearly out the published on the gov website.?
WHY choose the back door?
cayman… a land of scams.
I cannot believe this yahoo handed over $1.85 million for PR before his suspicions were raised. Stupid is as stupid does.
Status for 1.85 million? The crime here is that the money went into the hands of the wrong person.
So now let’s go after the politicians that sold status during the great give away…they all had lists.
Ah, but since police officers and legal department officials were on those lists nothing has happened or will happen. It is disgusting and reeks of corruption.
Actually the it was the Governor that abused his power…UK was totally responsible
Total Bullshit. The governor however did fail to intervene in what appears to have been a highly suspect and in some cases quite possibly corrupt selection process. The damage done to this society continues to this day.
Even if Robb had gotten PR on his own merits, the fact that he attempted to game the system by trying to buy it as a favor, should result in the immediate revokation of his permanent residence status. How is what he did not a crime and what Douglas did is one?
Totally agree…isn’t that an attempted corrupt act.
Those who don’t know Nat find it easy to cast stones.
We know he thinks like a criminal and tried to circumvent the legal process, that is all we need to know to say we don’t want his kind here. You should be ashamed of yourself.
You mean kinda like prostitution where both parties get the book thrown at them? Not this time, two million dollars aint chump change and i’m sure those with the authority to sign off on Mr Nathanial Robbs status would be happy to get a nice tip out of that sum.
There ain’t no crime.
Exactly! Robb, dishonesty ruined your chance to further prosper in the Cayman Islands.
Revocation of your permanent residency status is a must as an undesirable, because of your attempt to circumvent the Legal process.
Did he really only own 40% of the dive shop, to access that kind of money? How much did his Caymanian partner take out? All seems very strange.
The Caymanian probably got nothing or perhaps a few beers. Caymanians keep doing this, selling their birthright for a bowl of stew. In this instance a bottle of beer. If you don’t have money to buy in and able to take part in the enterprise please do not let anyone use your name and integrity. Better yet, open your own dive company. With that kind of money floating around you too can become a millionaire!
Tru!!! #stopfronting
Something does not add up , the police didnāt investigate the money trail either from whence the funds came or how they were used, isnāt that what the case is all about? He paid her money to obtain pr and status , his compensation was huge or he scammed his partners , she received the funds and poof it disappeared into thin air.
Where is a photo of Judith Douglas?
CNS: We actually couldn’t find one and Wendy wasn’t able to take one at the court.
A damning indictment not only of this despicable woman, but of our political system when she can rely on the commonly accepted belief that she took advantage of, in saying she knew people in high places in government and immigration and could secure status for a price.
And yet there are many walking around today who got their status through fren fren – and the police do nothing….
I didn’t realize the police had jurisdiction over corruption cases now. Thought there was some other body that investigated those. Like a commission of some sort…
Did anyone on that commission get a status grant (on the basis of fren fren) too?
Everyone involved should be deported.
Nat was an innocent and naive victim is this case.
Naive, idiot, stupid, dumb…. words alone do not adequately describe such unusual behaviour.
I smell an iguana!
8:04pm.
Agreed!