Five years ago, Sally Ann Rosita Ramsay played a part in conning two elderly returning nationals out of $28 000.
Yesterday, Ramsay confessed her part in the scam and is now awaiting sentencing from the No. 2 Supreme Court.
The 48-year-old, of Upper Enterprise Gardens, Christ Church, pleaded guilty to stealing $8 000, belonging to Jethro Morris, on June 19, 2013; stealing $11 000 belonging to him, a day later on June 20, 2013, and a further $9 000 on June 25.
She also admitted engaging in money laundering in that she disposed of $28 000, being the proceeds of crime, between June 19 and August 27, 2013.
“At the time I didn’t know I was getting into this. I apologise for taking the people’s money and giving it all away,” she told the court yesterday.
Justice Randall Worrell ordered a pre-sentencing report on the first-time offender and adjourned the matter until May 2.
Ramsay, who has been on remand for five years, was sent back to HMP Dodds pending sentencing.
Prosecutor Senior Crown Counsel Olivia Davis told the court Morris and his wife Marjorie returned to Barbados in 1999 after living in England.
On June 19, the wife received a phone call from someone pretending to be her godson Ronald Weekes in England, who spoke of having financial challenges. The couple decided they would help him and the husband went to the CIBC’s Oistins branch and withdrew $8 000 from their joint account.
Morris then met Ramsay and handed the money to her. She got into a route taxi and headed in the direction of Bridgetown.
The next day, the same man who identified himself as Ronald called the Morrises again and this time asked for $11 000.
The husband borrowed $2 000 from his nephew and $9 000 from his brother. Ramsay collected the money from the Morrises’ home.
Five days later, on June 25, the couple received another phone call, from the same man, this time asking for $9 000. The husband borrowed the money from his brother-in-law and Ramsay again went to their home and collected the money.
On June 27, Morris went to the Oistins branch of CIBC to see if the monies had been deposited back into his account as he had been promised.
But there were no such deposits.
He went to the Warrens branch, but the situation was still the same.
As a result of advice given to him by bank officials, he made a report to police.
It was on August 27, that same year, that lawmen went to Royal Bank of Canada’s Upper Broad Street branch where they saw and arrested Ramsay.
She later confessed and, in a written statement, told police her brother had called and told her he wanted her to collect some money for him.
She went to the Oistins branch of CIBC where she met the complainant. She collected $8 000 from the elderly man and she carried it for her brother.
“But I do not know my brother’s name,” the statement said, adding her brother was to deliver the money to someone called John. She said her brother gave her $100 and she used it to buy groceries.
In a second statement, Ramsay said her brother dropped her to a house in “Pilgrim Land, Christ Church” and, pretending to be someone called Ann, she told Marjorie Morris she was there to collect money for her father.
She was given $9 000 which she handed over to her brother. She did not get any money that time. (HLE)