Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter

A St. Ann man, who was involved in the Jamaican lottery sweepstakes scam which resulted in a large number of overseas residents being deceived into sending thousands of US dollars to Jamaica to claim their fictitious winnings, has been fined $1 million and also given a suspended sentence.

He is Wilford Doyle, 21, of Discovery Bay, St. Ann.

Doyle pleaded guilty on Tuesday in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court to a money laundering offence under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2007.

Doyle admitted that he was engaged in transactions involving criminal property.

Pleaded guilty

Resident Magistrate Winsome Henry fined Doyle $1 million and in addition gave him a one-year-suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to receiving US$13,100 from one of the victims. Doyle was arrested and charged following investigations carried out by the Financial Investigations Division.

The RM, in passing sentence, said "This type of white-collar crime is as equally destructive as violent crimes."

After Doyle pleaded guilty, attorney-at-law Amina Maknoon, who represented the Assets Recovery Agency, applied to RM Henry for an order for the matter to be committed to the Supreme Court for an application to be made for the forfeiture of Doyle's benefit from his criminal lifestyle. The RM granted the order.

Freezing known assets

The Assets Recovery Agency made an application yesterday in the Supreme Court for the freezing, detention and custody of Doyle's known assets, including millions of dollars held in several bank accounts and a Honda CRV, as well as an order requiring several financial institutions to disclose information about Doyle that they have in their possession.

Justice Roy Anderson granted the orders after hearing submissions from Ms. Maknoon.

The applications for the forfeiture of Doyle's benefit from his criminal lifestyle, which were granted yesterday, are the first of their kind to be made in Jamaica under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

barbara.gayle@gleanerjm.com