Scammer took $20k in PR con
Cayman Islands courthouse
(CNS): Judith Douglas, who pleaded guilty to nine counts of obtaining property by deception in connection with a permanent residency scam in 2009 and 2010, took more than $20,000 from her victims, the court heard Thursday. Douglas, who appeared in the dock alongside Marcia Hamilton, was one of three women involved in the PR con, in which they had used former premier McKeeva Bush as the carrot for convincing people their scam was real. There was no evidence, however, that the opposition leader was involved.
The women had used the mass status grants of 2003 as a comparison for their false sale of PR rights, telling their victims that government needed the money to plug the deficit.
As the prosecution presented the facts of the case for the sentencing of both Douglas and Hamilton, who was tried last year, crown counsel told the court how Douglas had swindled a large number of people out of their money. The scam consisted of selling the right to be a permanent resident in the Cayman Islands for $2,500.
The prosecution said Douglas misled nine victims. She collected a total of $20,500 over a period of nine months using Bush’s name to convince low income people to part with their money on the basis that it was government that was awarding PR. The prosecution said that Douglas was the one who wrote all the receipts to the victims caught up in the scam.
Hamilton, Douglas’s co-defendant, was found guilty just before Christmas last year after denying that she knew the scheme was a con. She was charged with six counts of obtaining property by deception, which totalled about $17,500. The third person charged in the case, Kathleen Davis, fled the country after her arrest and has never returned to answer the charges and the crown said they have not been able to locate her.
Following sentencing submissions, the presiding judge, Justice Charles Quin, reserved judgment but he said that as the crime had passed the custody threshold, both women were remanded in custody until 8 March, when he will deliver his sentencing ruling.
Check back with CNS for full details of the sentence verdict next month.
Alden! Could cabinet please revoke Marcia Hamilton’s status?
Mac! Could you please explain to us what she did to deserve it in the first place? I do not recall you ever giving any lawfully required reason for her grant.
Once you are Caymanian, you are Caymanian, end of story, nothing to revoke without the world of human rights falling on your head. I will try to make it simple for you, because you seem to have popped your head somewhere. If you are Caymanian, you are in fact a citizen of a British overseas territory. I am a Brit and I find your remarks stupid and offensive. I am going to write to the FCO to have your British passport and citizenship removed. And I will do the same for every Caymanian found guilty of a crime, plus a few politicians who should be in jail. How do you like that?
You are sadly devoid of any understanding of the law. It is entirely possible to be Caymanian without being British, or even a British Overseas Territories Citizen. The law clearly makes provision for revocation in the circumstances. Marcia Hamilton is and has always been a foreign citizen and has deported herself back to where she came from. Revocation is entirely appropriate and lawful in the circumstances.
Why was she given status anyway?
Caymanian is not a nationality. You are right that there is nothing in Cayman legislation that could affect someone’s right to remain in the Cayman Islands under Article 8.
A poster made a comment on Ricky Manderson picture could be shown , but pictures of other criminals like these so called women , and rapers their pictures are not show to the public .
I think that it would be a benefit to the public to see a picture along with his or her name after you have committed the crime, it is effective to help other people know who is good and who is bad , and who not to get involved with. Then those kind of people would learn that they have to clean their life up, that’s their second chance .
You mean the victims didn’t get any compensation order by the Judge ,or any avenues for the victims.
The “victims” should be arrested themselves.
Yes the so called victims should be arrested. I advised 2 persons that there was a process to be followed and that purchase of permanent residence was illegal. They went ahead with their simpleminded dishonest selves and paid the money. Serves them right. Thank God we have escaped some of the rot which is a part of the life of our neighbour.
Deportation order. The furriners imported on work permits are the cause of all criminality and unemployment.
So Northward is full of furreners? Strangely not. Which indicates either that you are full of sh*t or taking hallucinatory drugs. Or both. Probably.
Or that you have no grasp of sarcasm.
They should pay the consequence…..
Dam teif….Hamilton should serve her time and be deported…..
The Caymanian government should confiscate her house ? in Jamaica.
. Ole teif…..
A who you call lady?! Ah teef dem teef! Kss mih teeth!
Shame on those ladies.They should not get off easily,they should serve minimum 10 years.Now,put yourself in the victims shoe…..Hamilton is a disgrace the Cayman’s government should confiscate her assets in Jamaica house ? etc and sell it and give back her victims the money.
Dam crook,ole teif.
You must think Jamaicans licky licky like Caymanian dem. All matter of hell will break out if anyone go back a yard about confiscating house.
So?
Tel dem com to jamaica n see wat happen
I knew Judith Douglas as we both went to the Cayman Islands High School together back in the 80’s.
She never graduated because she was expelled for stabbing another girl
in her arm with a pencil.
Today she is a con-artist. If I’m surprised of anything, is that she never got in more trouble with the law, than what she is involved with at the moment.
Judge should send her away for ten years at a minimum.
Canover Watson stole way more and only got 7 years so let’s see.
And they did take away his Young Caymanian of the Year badge.
Who cares if the award was taken away. What about returning money?
That’s the plea agreement amount. I heard there are many more cases/higher amount than that.
I’ve know judith for years, even before she went to primary school, and throughout her adult life. there is nothing right about her actions, but, I will tell you that it is incorrectly judgemental to assume that she had been doing many other things outside the law. Her personality far surpassed many of others I have met on this island. Not to defend or validate or minimise the negative side of her actions, but she has an incredibly huge positive side that is above average.
Trust me, Judith has been to jail before now for other convictions. Once a thief always a thief! I guess these ‘victims’ would not have known about her past so fell for it all.
How many of the so-called victims were charged?!?!
Deportation?
$20,000 and the rest. How many victims did not come forward i wonder.
Heading should be “Scammers took $36K in PR con”
Wonder how many got through and enjoying PR? this shouldn’t be hard for Immigration to check on the PRs that exist to see how the process was carried out. But i heard they selling PRs also.
So it would be impossible.
Not sure, but I believe 3,000 or so got status through a similar process. I understand one of the perpetrators of this PR scam was amongst them. Franz?
Get through what dummy? Dont you understand? The scammers were selling something that does not exist. In simple terms, they took the money, the people got nothing in return because the scammers could not submit paperwork to Immigration. Got it now. So money paid for nothing!
egiot how is that possible when PR hasn’t been granted since 2013 to anyone! trust me every application with PR granted or Cayman Status at the Dept can only be granted by the Board so if any corruption going on all 9 Boards members would need to be involved…. highly unlikely …… but yeah it sounds good and juicy right?!