Twelve motorists fined for toll evasion as unlicensed dealer jailed and cyberbullying probe widens

Twelve motorists were fined in the St. Catherine Parish Court on Tuesday after being found guilty of toll evasion before acting Senior Parish Court Judge Janelle Nelson Gale. The court heard that the penalty for each breach is a fine of $10,000 or five days’ imprisonment.

In one matter, the registered owner of a vehicle was told that the person driving it had allegedly evaded toll payments on six separate occasions. That owner was ordered to pay $60,000 and given until July 7, 2026 to settle the amount. Police said the offenders passed through as many as two plazas along the PJ Patterson Highway without paying, and that toll operators detected the breaches after reviewing surveillance footage.

Separately, unlicensed securities dealer Jason Kamika was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on June 18 after failing to pay a court-ordered fine linked to Proceeds of Crime Act breaches involving nearly $20 million. The Financial Investigations Division, which brought the charges, said in a statement Wednesday that accused persons who ignore court orders risk imprisonment.

Kamika pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including failure to pay a pecuniary penalty order under section 126 of the Proceeds of Crime Act. The case arose from a Constabulary Financial Unit investigation that began in September 2022 into allegations of cryptocurrency-related investment fraud involving a complainant in the United Kingdom. Between August 16 and October 6, 2021, £51,000 was sent in several instalments to an account linked to Kamika. Investigators found the money was received and moved to third parties, and the Financial Services Commission confirmed he was not licensed as an investment adviser or securities dealer in Jamaica. He was also subject to an unpaid Supreme Court pecuniary penalty order of $18.1 million from January 31, 2020. At sentencing in the St. Ann Parish Court, Chief Technical Director of the FID Dennis Jung said the outcome shows that court orders carry real consequences.

In St. James, three students accused of cyberbullying remain in custody and are expected to be charged shortly. Police are extracting data from their cell phones as part of a probe into the bullying of two students at Mount Alvernia High School on Tuesday. The matter, involving impersonation, defamatory remarks and a serious threat, has been under investigation since it was first reported last year, with sources indicating the alleged targeting began in October.

Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton has warned hospital administrators nationwide that they will be held accountable for failures in care under a recently signed accountability framework. After the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association highlighted intern working conditions on Tuesday, Tufton directed regional health authorities and the University Hospital of the West Indies to complete physical audits of internal accommodation within 72 hours and submit findings to the permanent secretary by Friday, June 26. Facilities with structural, sanitary or safety problems must take immediate interim corrective action. The move follows a Tuesday protest by nurses at UHWI over overcrowding in the accident and emergency department.