Two Romanians will have to part with over $15 000 each after being fined and also having to foot their passage home.
The two men were charged with money laundering and appeared before a Bridgetown magistrate yesterday.
Ionut Sitclan, 22, of Craiova Petru Reras No. 9 Romania, pleaded guilty to not being at his place of abode, having on his person three Big Reward cards and three Experiences Compartidos Classic cards for use in the course of theft, and laundering $1 000 that was the proceeds of crime on February 9.
Similarly, Antonio Marian Dumitru, 25, of Flat 4 Bellevue Road, Northolt, London, admitted having six Big Reward cards for use in the course of theft, and engaging in money laundering of $1 067, the proceeds of crime, on the same date.
Prosecutor Constable Kevin Forde told the District “A” Magistrates’’ Court after reports of skimming on the island a tip off led police to two men driving a hired vehicle, which was seen parked at Rockley Resort. They were arrested and a search of Sitclan’s wallet produced the six cards that all had a piece of tape stuck to the back of them with a four-digit number. He also had the money in his possession.
Under the same circumstances, Dumitru was searched and the six cards were also found on him along with $1 067. Additionally, a Romanian identification card was found and they told the police they had lost their travel documents at sea, but refused to say where.
The men arrived in Barbados on January 12 and were scheduled to leave on January 25, and during that time stayed at a series of hotels.
Attorney Jamila Burgess told Magistrate Douglas Frederick the men had families who were able to assist if a fine was imposed on them.
However, the prosecutor objected to bail and said he had an issue with the information that had just come to the court’s attention and was asking for it to be verified and the men had not handed over their passports.
But Burgess said she had both their passports.
The magistrate fined each man $20 000, given the gravity of the matter and the fact that the money was recovered.
But Burgess, after contacting the families, asked the court for leniency after she said the families could only afford $10 000 each which could be sent the very same day.
When Magistrate Frederick accepted, and fined the men $10 000 each forthwith. If unpaid they would each spend nine months in jail. They were also made to forfeit the monies they skimmed and would have to pay their own passage back to their homeland. (RA)
Ionut Sitclan (left) and Antonio Dumitru were fined $10 000 each yesterday and handed over to Immigration officials.
