Trinidadian national Anthony Nester, who is charged with incurring hundreds of thousands in debts at local hotels, was yesterday hauled before a city court again for the same crime, to which he pleaded guilty.
The charge stated that Nester, 28, between September 7th and September 17th, at Thomas and Quamina streets, incurred a debt to Frank DaSilva by obtaining credit of $135,000 from him by means of staying at the El Dorado Inn and refusing to pay.
Nester, who was unrepresented, pleaded guilty to the charge.
Police prosecutor Kevin London told the court that on September 5th, Nester showed up at El Dorado Inn seeking to be lodged there. He told the supervisor of the Inn that he had lost his baggage, including his passport, at the airport.
London said due to this, Nester told the supervisor that he did not have any money and he begged to stay. Nester was subsequently granted a stay from the period of September 7th to September 17th. The prosecutor said that the supervisor, after reading one of the daily newspapers, found out that the defendant was charged with a similar offence and she made a report.
Nester explained to the court that he told the supervisor of the Inn that his bag containing his money and his passport was lost. He said he told her that he was opening an account at a bank so that money could be transferred to it so that he could pay the hotel cost. Nester admitted that the money transfer never came but that the supervisor let him stay at the hotel. The defendant said that his relatives are willing to pay the money owed to the hotel.
The defendant was then given a chance to pay the supervisor of El Dorado Inn, who was present in court. He handed over a sum of $130,000. The chief magistrate then ordered that he pay the remaining sum on or before November 28th or he would face four months in prison. The Chief Magistrate also placed Nester on a bond from incurring debts from other hotels for 12 months.
Nester was charged previously for incurring over $300,000 in debts at the Opus and Brandsville hotels. He is awaiting the commencement of trial for those charges.
