Duo charged with credit card fraud

A SANTA CRUZ woman and a Laventille man yesterday appeared before a Port-of-Spain magistrate charged with defrauding several branches of RBTT and the UWI branch of Republic Bank of $31,647.26, by making unauthorised credit card purchases. They were also charged with the possession of three counterfeit foreign credit cards for the purpose of trafficking. The cards were issued in the names Angel Thomkins and Dean Best. Augusta Castillo, of Jargon Village, Santa Cruz, appeared before Magistrate Ejenny Espinet at the Port-of-Spain First Magistrates’ Court charged with three counts of credit card fraud and jointly charged with Richard Beckles, of East Dry River, Upper Laventille, with an additional ten counts of credit card fraud. 

It is alleged that on February 3 and 6, 2004, the two made several purchases, together and separately, at various business places in North and South, Trinidad.  These purchases included clothing, footwear, TSTT companion cards, fast food, hydraulic chairs and electronic items. Castillo, who had no antecedents, was granted bail in the sum of $180,000 with a surety to be approved by the Clerk of the Peace — $90,000 to cover the offences that occurred in the South and $90,000 to cover the offences that occurred in the North. The two sets of bail, Espinet informed her, could not be posted by the same person. Beckles was remanded into custody pending tracing. They were charged on Saturday by Acting Cpl Brian Peters of the Fraud Squad. They have not yet retained legal council and will re-appear in court today.