Four ‘romance scammers’ were on Monday charged by the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) with twenty-one counts of conspiracy to commit a felony and three counts of forgery.
They were charged after they allegedly defrauded eight women of sums totalling $804,000.
The accused scammers have been identified as: Khadijah Long, 27, of Lot 28-26 Central Amelia’s Ward, Mackenzie, Linden; Wayne Halley, a 27-year-old driver of Lot 194 First Street, Mocha, East Bank Demerara; Kevon McBean, a 43-year-old postal clerk of Lot 42 Amelia’s Ward, Linden; and Matthew Ejike Nwackukwu, a 36-year-old unemployed Nigerian national of Lot 96 Duncan Street, Kitty, Georgetown.
The quartet appeared at the Linden Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Rondel Weaver where the charges were read to them. They all pleaded not guilty.
Long was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit a felony and was placed on $50,000 bail.
Halley was charged with ten counts of conspiracy to commit a felony and was placed on $300,000 bail. McBean was charged with three counts of forgery and was placed on $100,000 bail, and Nwackukwu was also charged with ten counts of conspiracy to commit a felony and was remanded to prison.
The matters were adjourned to July 27.
According to a SOCU release, the eight females were befriended supposedly by a male Caucasian on WhatsApp, and they established a so-called ‘long-distance relationship’ and communicated regularly via social media. During their conversations, the man told them that he would be sending to Guyana, packages containing items such as colognes, bags, watches, chains and US currency. Thereafter, they received WhatsApp messages from a delivery agent of Delta Courier Service informing them that the packages were in transit at their Chicago, USA offices. They were then asked to send cash to Long, Halley, and Nwackukwu, to facilitate the delivery of the packages.
SOCU stated that the complainants sent a total of $804,000 to Long, Halley, and Nwackukwu, but never received any packages.
However, McBean was contacted by Halley who asked her to assist in processing transactions at the Mackenzie Post Office located in Linden and she agreed. Between June 24, 2022 and July 14, 2022, McBean colluded with Halley and forged the signatures of recipients on several Guyana Post Office Corporation inland money orders and collected the cash.
The release further stated that the matters were reported to SOCU and investigations were conducted. Legal advice was sought and they were later charged with the present offences.
