Fourth suspect held by MOCA in islandwide mortgage fraud probe

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Investigators with the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) have detained a fourth person linked to a sweeping mortgage fraud scheme that allegedly siphoned millions from financial institutions across Jamaica between January 2023 and April 2024.

According to MOCA, the 36-year-old man was taken into custody on Wednesday at the Kingston Central Police Station, where he had turned up to honour pre-charge bail conditions tied to alleged breaches of the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) and conspiracy to defraud.

His arrest brings to four the number of people now caught up in the probe. The earlier three are Chloe Douett, a 30-year-old medical doctor from Cherry Gardens, Kingston; Ivana Campbell, a 29-year-old executive assistant from Cedar Grove, Portmore; and 44-year-old Dwayne Pitter of Olympic Gardens, Kingston.

The quartet is suspected of operating as part of an organised criminal ring that ran a polished, large-scale fraud against several banks and other lenders during the 16-month window under investigation.

MOCA alleges that the group leaned on a mix of genuine documents obtained through deception and outright counterfeit identification papers to slip past the verification checks and security controls used by the targeted institutions.

In January, the agency laid charges against Douett for uttering forged documents, demanding property on forged documents, conspiracy to defraud, and failing to safely store a firearm. Pitter was separately charged under POCA, the Law Reform (Fraudulent Transactions) (Special Provisions) Act, the Forgery Act, and with conspiracy to defraud at common law over related but distinct conduct.

Campbell and Pitter additionally face charges brought by the Financial Investigations Division (FID), covering POCA, the Larceny Act, the Forgery Act, the Law Reform (Fraudulent Transactions and Special Provisions) Act, and conspiracy to defraud at common law.

MOCA indicated that formal charges against the latest suspect are expected to follow shortly.