Johnny Welshman found himself before a city court yesterday, accused of falsely obtaining $40,000 from a woman after he pretended to be a lawyer.
Welshman, 23, of Lot 2519 Layou Street, North Ruimveldt, who told the court that he has changed his name to William Lockhart, was accused of falsely obtaining the sum of $40,000 from Alicia Fernandes on October 21st. The woman had contacted him regarding a child custody matter. Lockhart pleaded not guilty to the allegation and was granted bail by Magistrate Delon Bess.
According to the prosecution, Fernandes had been experiencing problems with her mother, who is reported to have custody of her children. When the woman was advised by the welfare authorities to make contact with a lawyer to deal with the matter, she contacted Welshman.
It was not until days later that Fernandes found out that Welshman was not a lawyer and reported the matter to the police, leading to his arrest.
Magistrate Bess placed the accused on $25,000 bail and ordered him to return to court on December 29th, when statements are to be presented to the court.
Welshman was in the headlines last year after he claimed that a senior government official molested him as a child.