Tanto Blacks wanted on fraud charges

Dancehall artiste Tanto Blacks is wanted by police from the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigations Branch to answer to fraud-related charges.

This was disclosed in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Tuesday when his fellow entertainer Poor and Boasy, whose given name is Omar Johnson, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud, uttering forged documents and obtaining money by means of false pretence. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of forgery.

It is alleged that on May 30, the complainant was at his business place when Johnson and Tanto Blacks, given name Junior Henry, asked him to change US$250 into Jamaican dollars. The men left and Johnson returned on June 1 with an envelope containing US$1,000 in US$100 bills and told the complainant that he was given the envelope by Henry.

Johnson told the complainant that Henry was asking that he hold on to the envelope with the US notes in exchange for J$70,000 until June 8, when they would return and retrieve the US$1,000 and give back the $70,000. The exchange was done and Johnson left. However, it was discovered that the US bills were all counterfeit, bearing the same serial number.

When Johnson appeared before Senior Parish Judge Lori-Anne Cole-Montaque, he said he got a sealed envelope to bring to the complainant.

“I never open it or anything and then couple days after dat I hear that the money is fake. So I really wah tek the blame because I am the one with the envelope and because I get the money and stuff from him [the complainant] and give it back to the person,” Johnson explained.

“So you took an envelope, not knowing what its contents were to give to another person?” the senior judge asked him, which Johnson admitted was true. For this, she chided him.

Johnson then told the judge that before winning the Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall competition in 2009, he was a windshield wiper along Hagley Park Road, St Andrew.

“What have you been doing since that time?’ the senior jurist asked.

“A lot of things. I actually get taken out of the immigration line coming from Trinidad from a show,” he responded.

When Cole-Montaque revealed her intention to impose a stop order, restricting his movements at the island’s major ports of entry and exit, Johnson pleaded with her not to do so because he has stage show obligations in Antigua and Barbuda on August 25 and September 2. The prosecutor supported not imposing the stop order and asked that Johnson be given the chance to demonstrate good faith that he would return to court for sentencing. Additionally, the investigating officer indicated that he had no issue with Johnson travelling overseas.

“Mr Johnson, I am not going to bother with the stop order. We’re putting confidence in you. Don’t let me down,” the senior parish judge warned.

She requested a social enquiry report and the matter was adjourned until November 21.