Guard consents to extradition

Ingerberth Baird, 38, a naturalised citizen of the US, of Eastern Main Road, Sangre Grande, is charged with four insurance fraud offences. It is alleged the security guard employed with the Ministry of Local Government conspired to defraud the US Department of Veteran Affairs of the proceeds of an insurance policy worth US$100,000 along with his wife Nicolette Baird. Ingerberth is also charged with aiding and abetting the forgery of an insurance claim, forgery of a death certificate with intent to defraud the Department as well as an American insurance company. The charges date from September 2002 to March 2007.

The charges stem from an alleged plot involving Nicolette, Ingerberth’s wife who was in Trinidad in September 2002, who allegedly co-operated in a scheme to defraud the Department.

The scheme involved the filing of forged documents to the effect that she had died in a car accident in Trinidad in September 2002. A handwritten death certificate as well as a forged police report were submitted by Ingerberth and Nicolette to the American Department and the insurance company, while his wife returned to America from Trinidad.

Nicolette was eventually spotted by American authorities and eventually plead guilty to fraud charges brought against her in the US.

For the charges, Ingerberth faces penalties ranging from five to 20 years imprisonment. Yesterday the accused said that he had cooperated with US officials in the country since last year. He told Mc Nicolls that he was agreeing to go to the US willingly and that he had not been threatened or induced in anyway to do this. He will be remanded in custody pending his extradition.

Comments

"Guard consents to extradition"

More in this section