The owner of North West Travel and Tours was yesterday fined $20,000 after he admitted to collecting just under $1 million from a client to get her airline tickets for her family and then failing to pay the airline.
Brutus Jupiter appeared before Magistrate Ann McLennan in Georgetown and pleaded guilty to a charge of obtaining money by false pretense.
The court heard that between July 2nd and July 29th, at Georgetown, Jupiter, with intent to defraud, obtained $903,000 from his client by falsely pretending he was in a position to obtain seven airline tickets for her.
Prosecutor Deniro Jones indicated to the court that Jupiter was given the cash for seven tickets for a flight to Dominica.
As a result, Jones said Jupiter booked the tickets from Insel Airline and gave them to the woman. However, it was later revealed that he did not pay for the tickets and they were cancelled by the airline.
A report was made to the police and Jupiter was arrested. It was revealed that during questioning he could not say what he did with the money.
Jupiter yesterday told the court that he encountered a problem shortly after he collected the money. He said on the day he collected the money, he went to the Sleepin Hotel and left the bag containing the cash in his vehicle parked outside. He added that someone broke into vehicle and stole the money. He subsequently went overseas although he knew he had to pay the airline as the flight date was approaching.
However, the court heard that the money was returned to the woman yesterday morning before the hearing.
Jupiter was fined $20,000 with an alternative of three months in jail.
