Alleged fake cop cons cabbie

A Corporate Area man allegedly conned a taxi operator out of $50,000 by pretending to be a cop and driving the cabbie's impounded vehicle off a police station's compound.

The allegations were shared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court, where the accused man was arraigned for obtaining money by means of false pretence and three counts of fraudulent conversion. Allegations detail that the complainant's vehicle was seized after he breached the Road Traffic Act. The vehicle was taken to the police station. The accused, who will not be named by this newspaper due to concerns about his safety, contacted the complainant indicating that he had a friend who is a police officer, who could assist in the retrieval of his vehicle. The complainant was allegedly informed by the accused that the cost to return the vehicle is $100,000, but the complainant paid over $50,000.

On the day of the incident, the complainant was again contacted by the accused who informed him to go to the back of the police station where his car was located. The accused drove the vehicle off the police station's compound. Prosecutors contend that the accused introduces himself as a businessman who imports vehicles and that three complainants paid over monies for vehicles. One complainant reportedly paid more than $250,000 as a downpayment for a vehicle.

"I don't know anything about that Your Honour," the accused man indicated to Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell.

He also decried the condition of the lock-ups where he is being held, noting that he has developed a skin condition and is being housed in a cell with 18 men. The accused shared further that he fears for his life, as he is a Crown witness against men who are also being held in the same lock-ups as him. The judge then made an order for the accused to be transferred to a maximum security facility within the Corporate Area.

The man was made the subject of a fingerprint order and was remanded until October 15.