Yuri Garcia Dominguez and Ateeka Ishmael, the principals of Accelerated Capital Firm Inc (ACFI), who are currently facing close to eighty charges in what has been described as a huge Ponzi scheme were yesterday released from prison after posting bail of around $30M.
The couple’s attorney, Dexter Todd last evening confirmed their release while noting that bail was granted in the sum of almost $30M. “Both of them were granted bail and they are home resting. They are out of prison,” Todd said.
The couple are currently facing more than eighty charges of conspiring with other persons to obtain monies by false pretense.
The charges were laid separately before different magistrates.
Todd explained that when the matter was called yesterday before Magistrate Melissa Mittelholzer at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court, a total of fifteen new charges were read to the couple.
During the court proceedings, he said an application was made for bail which was granted.
Prior to this, he noted that the other set of charges were heard before Magistrate Rochelle Liverpool on Monday during which bail was also granted.
“They have 15 fresh matters now at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court and they appeared before Magistrate Mittelholzer and they were granted $50,000 each on the charges so that came up to about $1.5M. So when you add all the matters that they have had from since they have been charged it comes up to almost $30M,” Todd related.
According to Todd, bail was granted on conditions which his clients will adhere to. “There are reporting conditions and they are going to adhere to those reporting conditions and their passports have been lodged since at the first hearing of the charges with the Vigilance Registry. So I think all the conditions in terms of fears of flight risk is behind us now,” he said.
Todd further related that the couple will be working towards putting together a statement which will detail how they will address their clients on the way forward. “….So that they can begin to have this matter amicably resolved and to put systems in place so that those persons who are at “grief” will be sorted out and this whole false news of it being a Ponzi scheme, they are going to establish that it was never a Ponzi scheme,” Todd added.
The Guyana Police Force has said that Garcia-Dominguez, 34, a naturalised Guyanese of Cuban origin, and his wife, Ishmael, 32, both of Track A, Coldingen, East Coast Demerara, were detained as part of an ongoing investigation of alleged fraud.
Approximately 17,000 Guyanese allegedly lost hundreds of millions of dollars after they invested with the unlicensed company run by the couple.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum had said that the police have obtained a total of 69 statements from investors, who reached out to the Criminal Investigation Department. These individuals had 77 transactions amounting to $135 million, Blanhum disclosed.
Last Wednesday the police said that a bank account was opened at the beginning of the month in order to facilitate the return of millions of dollars invested by persons but there has been no progress.
