A Guyanese aide worker in the United States has pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings bonds from a now deceased elderly American woman for whom she had been providing home health services.
According to a press release from the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery, Jhanannie Singh, also known as ‘Jasmine’ and ‘Sharmala Persaud,’ 52, a citizen of Guyana, who was last residing in Queens, New York, admitted to a conspiracy offence relating to the theft from an elderly woman who had purchased the bonds for her grandchildren and other family members.
Singh, who made the admission before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport on Friday, faces a maximum term of five years in jail for the crime.
The release said according to court documents and statements made in court, the victim had purchased the bonds for her grandchildren and other relatives. However, after the woman died, Singh contacted Glen Campbell, also known as ‘Nick,’ who enlisted the help of another individual to redeem the stolen bonds at a financial institution and provide Singh and Campbell with a portion of the proceeds.
Between October 2020 and January 2021, as part of an undercover investigation, law enforcement coordinated the purchase of more than 100 savings bonds, with face values ranging from $50 to $1,000, from Singh and Campbell. Campbell traveled to Connecticut to complete the transactions.
Singh and Campbell were arrested on January 29, 2021. The release said in June and July 2021, Singh attempted to obstruct the investigation and prosecution of the matter by offering to pay Campbell if he agreed to lie and provide false testimony. She has been detained since August 4, 2021.
Judge Dooley has scheduled Singh’s sentencing for November 28
Campbell pleaded guilty to the same charge on June 15, 2022, and awaits sentencing, the release noted.
The release added that the matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
