Marketers and agents of alleged Ponzi scheme, Accelerated Capital Firm Inc (ACFI) have been asked to visit the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Head-quarters, Eve Leary with all documents of transactions they carried out with the principals of the firm, as part of an ongoing investigation.
The force’s Corporate Communications Unit made this call on Monday.
“The Guyana Police Force is continuing its investigation into the Ponzi Scheme that Yuri Garcia Dominguez and his wife Ateeka Ishmael were charged and are presently before the courts for,” the notice said.
“In this regard, it is required that all the marketers and agents visit the Criminal Investigations Department, Eve Leary with all their documents of receiving and handing over cash to Yuri and his wife,” it added.
In August, 2020, the police had arrested Dominguez and Ishmael after launching an investigation into what has been described as a huge Ponzi scheme.
The Guyana Police Force had said that 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.
At a press conference held in early October, 2020, Dominguez had announc-ed plans to recommence repayment of invested capital to 17,000 clients from October 12th, 2020 since the firm is not licensed to operate here and has been forced to cease all of its operations.
The repayment did commence as promised with some 27 persons receiving their invested capital.
However, two days after the repayment started, officials from the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) raided the couple’s property at Coldingen, ECD and seized equipment containing records of their clients. This resulted in a halt of the repayment.
About a month after, attorney Dexter Todd had told Stabroek News that persons who invested with ACFI were at risk of losing their money as the companies which piloted the trading of the funds had since terminated their contracts with the firm.
The following month, Todd had said that his clients had embarked on a process of putting their trading account back into profitability and once this was completed repayment would begin.
In January, after months of delay, Todd had told Stabroek News that persons who invested with the firm have begun to receive their monies.
Todd had said that his clients informed him that the repayment process commenced in late January.
However, months after a large number of these persons are yet to be reimbursed.
To date, Dominguez and Ishmael, are facing close to 80 charges of conspiring with other persons to obtain monies by false pretence.
They were released on bail totaling approximately $30 million. The charges are still engaging the court.
Subsequent to this, the couple faced two additional charges which were filed by SOCU.
They were charged under the Consumers Affairs Act with operating a pyramid scheme, and under the Securities Act with operating without a licence.
Both Dominguez and Ishmael pleaded not guilty to the joint charges and were released on bail.
