Aubrey Norton and Martina Seepersaud, two agents working for Accelerated Capital Firm Inc (ACFI), which is alleged to have been operating a Ponzi scheme, were charged on Thursday with laundering millions of dollars that they collected by purchasing properties.
Norton and Seepersaud were charged with the offence of money laundering, contrary to Section 3 (1) (a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act, in what the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) said was the first ever instance of such charges being laid in the country.
Norton and Seepersaud, who resided at Lot 242 Tract ‘A’ Coldingen, East Coast Demerara (ECD), the same address as the principals of the firm, Yuri Garcia Dominguez and Ateeka Ishmael, faced two separate charges.
They were read one of the charges when they appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court, where they were not required to plead and were placed on $300,000 bail each. Bail was granted with the condition that they lodge their passports and report every Friday to SOCU.
Later the same day, the second charge was read to them when they appeared at the Sparandaam Magistrate’s Court. They were not required to plead and were granted $200,000 bail each.
The matters were adjourned until July 8 and July 22, respectively.
Norton and Seepersaud are accused of soliciting millions of dollars through ACFI from hundreds of Guyanese and using the funds to purchase properties.
According to a SOCU statement, on June 8, 2020, at Coldingen, ECD, Norton and Seepersaud entered into an agreement of sale and purchase with vendors to purchase property situated at Lot 36 First Street, Montrose, ECD, for the sum of $60 million.
The statement added that the duo allegedly transferred $50 million by paying the sum in cash as a down payment with a balance of $10 million on the passing of the transport for the property.
Additionally, it is alleged that they also transferred $53,500,000 to vendors, being “part payment” for the purchase of property at Block XIV, Parcel 86 Fourth Street, La Bonne Intention, ECD.
“Aubrey Norton and Martina Seepersaud, transferred the said sums, knowing or having reasons to believe that the said sums are the proceeds of crime as they had no legitimate source of income that could have generated the funds acquired to enable them to purchase these properties,” the statement said.
The properties, the statement noted, were later resold to purchasers in the United States of America (USA).
In August, 2020, the police had arrested Dominguez and Ishmael after launching an investigation into what has been described as a huge Ponzi scheme.
Altogether, they have been accused of operating a Ponzi scheme, with approximately 17,000 Guyanese having lost hundreds of millions of dollars after investing with the unlicensed company.
In February, this newspaper reported that persons who invested with the firm had begun to receive their monies as the couple resumed repayment.
This was after the repayment had commenced late last year, with some 27 persons receiving their invested capital. However, two days after the repayment started, officials from SOCU raided the couple’s property at Coldingen and seized equipment containing records of their clients. This resulted in a halt of the repayment.
At a recent court hearing, their attorney Dexter Todd said that the couple are continuing to reimburse persons who were allegedly defrauded by the firm.
