Integrity Commission flags alleged FLA record tampering in ammunition entries

An Integrity Commission investigation has raised concerns about alleged manipulation of Firearm Licensing Authority records, including ammunition entries tied to licensed dealer Kent Brown and one person who had already died.

The 131-page report, tabled in Parliament late Tuesday, said the probe began on June 14, 2021, after an anonymous email outlined several allegations. Director of Investigation Kevin Stevenson concluded that inaccurate information appeared to have been entered in the FLA’s licence management system to Brown’s disadvantage.

Brown told investigators he discovered four system entries showing that three people had bought 6,000 rounds of bird-hunting ammunition on July 11, 2018. He said his range was closed that day, that he did not sell that type of ammunition there, and that no matching sales or entry records existed.

Checks found two of the listed persons had valid 12-gauge shotgun licences, while the third had a temporary licence after a renewal process began in May 2018. The FLA told investigators that temporary licence holders were not allowed to buy ammunition at the time. NEPA CEO Leonard Francis also confirmed no hunter’s licence applications were found for the three men for the relevant bird-shooting seasons.

Two witnesses denied buying the rounds. Stevenson said records from the Registrar General’s Department confirmed the third person died on June 16, 2018, weeks before the July entries.

FLA employee Chevron Robinson, recorded as making the entries, told investigators he acted on instructions from either the information systems director or the chief executive officer, but could not confirm the method used. FLA CEO Shane Darling said efforts to recover older emails lost after a 2019 server failure were unsuccessful.

Separately, MOCA and the Jamaica Constabulary Force are still asking for help identifying a masked gunman seen in a video threatening administrators at Stella Maris Preparatory School in St. Andrew and demanding $50 million. The school increased guards from two to four, added police support during drop-off and pickup periods, and arranged staggered armed patrols by King Alarm.

MOCA asked persons with information to call 888-MOCA-TIP, 888-662-2847, or Crime Stop at 311.

In another matter, Jamaican Sherwin Benjamin Belinfante, also called Iceman, is to be sentenced in Arizona on August 18 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. He admitted involvement in a romance and sweepstakes scheme that targeted an 85-year-old Arizona resident between December 2015 and January 2019. The victim lost about US$469,032, which Belinfante agreed to repay.