By Latrishka Thomas
Two fraudsters now have to dip into their pockets to pay for crimes they committed.
On May 16, Marcia Phillip and Richard Murray pleaded guilty in the High Court to obtaining by virtue of a forged document.
In May 2019, Phillip went to the home of an acquaintance who gave her two cheques for services she was to render for him
However, she was unable to do so due to an unforeseen circumstance.
But Phillip still filled out one of the cheques in the amount of $1,000 and used it at Chase Supermarket.
She then gave the other cheque to Murray who was her friend.
Murray asked a friend of a friend to change the cheque by claiming that he needed to buy something for his children and when the man agreed, Murray wrote the man’s name on the cheque in the amount of $1,200.
They cashed the cheque at the M & M’s Service Station on Old Parham Road.
In June 2019, the complainant was contacted by both the Chase Supermarket and the gas station since the cheques had been returned due to insufficient funds on the account.
The victim then realised that the cheques had been used without his permission
He therefore reported the matter to the police.
The duo was then charged and brought before the court to answer to a charge which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment.
But fortunately for them, they were only ordered to pay restitution to the complainant in full and to pay a fine of $1,000 each to the state.