FID issues 'money mule' warning following arrests

Three people are facing criminal charges for their alleged roles in a multimillion-dollar bank fraud and a suspected money mule operation, authorities announced on Monday.

Ashanti Johnson, 24, Kevin Bentley, 37, and David Brevett, 54, have been charged with breaches of the Proceeds of Crime Act, the Larceny Act and the Cybercrimes Act, the Financial Investigation Division (FID) disclosed in a statement.

All three have been released on bail and are scheduled to appear before the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on April 10.

They were arrested during coordinated operations conducted by the FID and the police, in Kingston, St Andrew and Clarendon between March 17 and 19.

It’s alleged that all three participated in a fraudulent scheme that involved unauthorised access to bank accounts and the transfer of funds to accounts maintained by other players.

Details of the allegations and the amount of money involved were not publicly disclosed by the FID.

The FID noted that this type of activity is common in financial crimes where funds obtained from fraud are quickly funnelled through seemingly legitimate personal or business accounts in an effort to disguise its origin, frustrate investigators or distance perpetrators from the stolen money.

“Once criminal funds are deposited into legitimate accounts, they may then be withdrawn, transferred, split across multiple accounts or used in other transactions designed to conceal the money trail,” the statement said.

The FID said in many cases the account holder is either a willing participant or “someone who has been manipulated, recruited or deceived into acting as a money mule”.

Dennis Chung, Chief Technical Director of the FID, urged the public to exercise proper due diligence when accepting deposits on behalf of others, especially in cases where it involves sharing debit cards or personal identification numbers.

“The Proceeds of Crime Act defines criminal property as property obtained through criminal conduct and criminalises all handling of such property. If you possess, transfer or facilitate the retention of criminal property, you will be charged,” Chung warned.

The FID said criminal networks often target people with the promise of “easy money” or “part-time payment processing” work or a request to help move funds using their personal account and appealed to young professionals, job seekers and unemployed persons to be cautious.

It said ignorance is not a defence where criminal property is concerned.

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