Romaine Ricardo Jarrett, a 32-year-old electrician of a Flower Hill District address in Montego Bay, St. James, was on April 27, 2021 charged with various offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA). He was questioned in the presence of his attorney prior to the charges being laid; they are:
- Conspiracy to Defraud
- Possession of Criminal Property
- Conspiracy to Possess Criminal Property
- Conspiracy to Transport Criminal Property into Jamaica
- Engaging in Transactions Involving Criminal Property
Jarrett, who was a Person of Interest in an ongoing money laundering probe being conducted by the FID and the Constabulary Financial Unit (CFU), was arrested after disembarking a flight at the Sangster International Airport on April 26, 2021.
In one instance, dating back as far as 2011, law enforcement officers in the United States visited the home of a lottery scamming victim after identifying that the person fell prey to a fraudulent scheme. A sworn statement was given by the victim who fingered Jarrett as the main fraudster.
The FID’s Principal Director, Keith Darien said, “In this case there are multiple players involved in the scamming activity. Nabbing Jarrett and others in his circle also required teamwork from Jamaican agencies and US law enforcement; locally it was the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) supporting our investigative efforts.
Darien added, “We’ve been trying to get a hold of Jarrett since 2015 and now he will have his day in court and justice will be served; we will apprehend and prosecute those who break the law.”
Jarrett was offered bail in the sum of J$400,000 and is scheduled to appear in the Savanna-La-Mar Parish Court on May 19, 2021.