Six charged in alleged $110-million loan fraud

THE Financial Investigations Division (FID) is reporting that six people have been arrested and charged following a joint investigation with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) into an alleged fraudulent loan scheme totalling approximately $110 million. According to the FID, the loans were obtained from a prominent financial institution between January 2023 and December 2024 through applications supported by forged and fictitious documents. The agency also said that loan proceeds were then moved through bank accounts held by third parties. The FID identified the six individuals charged as Errol Williams, 39, a business owner and accountant from St Catherine; Christine Elliot, 52, a customer service representative from St Catherine; Staisha Campbell, 24, who is unemployed and from St Catherine; Paige Dixon, 34, a labourer and farmer and Adrien Kerry-Ann Gordon, 44, a self-employed shopkeeper, both from Kingston; and Admarie Ashman, 58, who is self-employed and from the Kingston 3 area. The FID said Williams was arrested on September 24, 2026, during an intelligence-led search operation. “He is alleged to have benefited by approximately $20 million from the scheme. He was offered bail in the sum of $1.5 million with a surety,” the FID said in a news release late Thursday evening. Elliot and Campbell were arrested and charged on September 16, 2026, following a search operation. They are alleged to have received $1.35 million and $1.2 million, respectively in loan proceeds. Each was offered bail in the sum of $500,000 with a surety. Dixon and Gordon were arrested on September 9, 2026, following a search operation. Each is alleged to have received $1.5 million in loan proceeds, which was withdrawn. They were offered bail in the sum of $500,000 each with a surety, while Ashman was arrested and charged on October 20, 2026, following a search operation at her home. “All six face charges of engaging in a transaction involving criminal property under the Proceeds of Crime Act; uttering forged documents under the Forgery Act; obtaining credit by fraud under the Larceny Act; and conspiracy to defraud under common law,” the FID said. It added that Williams is also charged with possession of criminal property. The FID said Ashman, who remains in custody, is scheduled to appear in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court, Criminal Division on Friday, October 23, 2026. The other five accused appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court, Criminal Division, on October 13, 2026, each represented by an attorney. The matter was adjourned for mention on February 16, 2027 with the following bail conditions: • A stop order has been placed on their movement; • They have surrendered their travel documents; • They are to report to the police twice weekly; and • They are not to interact or interfere with witnesses. The FID said that on December 24, 2024, the financial institution reported to the police that documentation submitted in support of loan applications made by 79 individuals, between January 2023 and December 2024, was fraudulent. “The institution had identified irregularities in the applicants’ files and, when it tried to verify the applicants’ stated places of employment, could not locate them at the addresses provided. By then, the loans had been disbursed and were not being repaid,” the FID said. “It is alleged that forged job letters, utility bills, and pay advices were submitted to support the loan applications. Analysis of the bank accounts of two of the accused indicated that most of the loan funds received were subsequently transferred to third-party accounts,” the FID added. The law enforcement agency also said it is further alleged that Williams “created fictitious documents, provided bank accounts to others and instructed that loan funds be transferred to them, and obtained a fraudulent driver’s licence and birth certificate and opened bank accounts in fictitious names to facilitate the deposit of loan funds”. The FID said that Ashman was taken into custody following a search operation conducted on October 20, 2026, by members of the Constabulary Financial Unit, assisted by personnel of the Kingston Eastern Police Division, under a warrant issued pursuant to the Financial Investigations Division Act. “She was held on reasonable suspicion of engaging in a transaction involving criminal property, obtaining credit by fraud, uttering forged documents and conspiracy to defraud, and was subsequently charged,” the FID said. It added that during the search, “Ashman was found in possession of two separate forms of Government-issued photo identification, a driver’s licence and an electoral identification card, which carry different dates of birth: One in her name and the other in the name ‘Cassandra Burton’. Numerous items, including banking cards, letters and other printed documents, were seized by the police, taken into custody and entered into evidence.” Commenting on the matter, FID Chief Technical Director Dennis Chung said: “The activity alleged in this matter, although sophisticated, expansive and creative, was no match for the skills of our forensic investigators. It spanned a long period, involved many individuals, and relied on documents, accounts and identities made to look legitimate. The investigation required close collaboration and the expertise of one of our longstanding strategic partners, the JCF. “We also want the public to understand how easy it can be for persons to get caught up in a money mule scheme such as this. A request to receive money, or to lend an account or identification, can seem harmless, but it can make a person a pawn in someone else’s criminal activity. We urge everyone to remain vigilant, to ask questions and to refuse any such request, as you will be held criminally liable.” Arguing that financial institutions also have a critical role to play, Chung said: “We encourage them to strengthen their due diligence capabilities, both in assessing loan applications and applicants, and in vetting their own employees, whether new hires or those with long tenures. Due diligence is not a one-time exercise. It must be sustained, as it protects institutions, their customers and the wider financial system.” The FID also reminded the public that the charges are allegations and that each of the accused is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.