By Latrishka Thomas
A man who is alleged to have used someone else’s identity to fraudulently acquire and resell a vehicle is now on remand at His Majesty’s Prison.
According to reports, Jahmuel Samuels crashed a vehicle he rented in March 2022 while using another person’s driver’s licence and then promised to buy it from the owner.
The 28-year-old accused was reportedly set to buy the blue Toyota motor car for $18,000 by paying $,1000 each month, but allegedly failed to do so, and stopped communicating with the complainant after signing the bill of sale documents under another person’s name.
In December 2022, it is said that the defendant posted the vehicle in question on Facebook purporting that he was the owner and was selling it for only $4,000.
One man reportedly saw an advertisement and went to see the vehicle on December 5.
Williams reportedly agreed to take $3,500 for the car, but told the man that many persons were interested, prompting him to make a down payment of $1,300 for which he is said to have received a receipt.
However, the defendant reportedly told the man that the documents for the vehicle were at his home and that he will give them to him the following day.
Days reportedly passed without the man hearing from the defendant, but, they were said to have run into each other in town on December 15.
It is further reported that Williams convinced the man that he would bring the documents to him and the man allegedly paid a further $1,200 for the car.
The next day the man was reportedly handed the car keys and a yellow Antigua and Barbuda Transport Board card, but then realised that the vehicle was not in the defendant’s name.
Williams is said to have told the man that he is in fact the owner but the change of ownership was not completed since the former owner is in Barbuda.
The man reportedly asked for his money back but the defendant allegedly fled to his homeland, St Vincent, and cut all communication.
When he returned to Antigua and Barbuda he was charged for impersonating another individual, forging a bill of sale, obtaining a car fraudulently and obtaining $1,300 and $1,200 for the sale of a car and using it for his own benefit.
He made his first court appearance yesterday and begged Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh for bail saying that he has a baby on the way.
However, the prosecution objected to bail and the Magistrate Walsh remanded the accused to HMP.
His next court hearing is on June 29.