Fraudster gets 4 years jail

Howill Pooran, 29, of Duncan Village, San Fernando was arrested last Thursday and charged with nine counts of fraud. He was released from prison in June 2015 after serving a term of imprisonment for similar offences. On Friday last, Pooran appeared in the San Fernando Magistrates’ court and was remanded into custody to reappear yesterday.

He pleaded guilty before Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde-John.

Court prosecutor Cleyon Seedan itemised each count which disclosed how Pooran went about fleecing his victims, six of whom are women. The magistrate read to Pooran all nine charges that between 2015 and January this year, he took sums of money from Jennifer Aquiller, Natalie Goodridge, Nixon Elcock, Melinda Dasyne, Zina Vesprey, Jemma Gomez, Gabriel Guerra, Christie Theodore and Zion Millan.

The monies listed in the charges are: $13,500; $12,000; $18,000; $16,500; $3,500, $18,000; $13,500; $3,500 and $4,300. Seedan said all the charges alleged that Pooran took money on the pretext that he will supply his victims with foreign used vehicles. Pooran pleaded guilty and when Magistrate Forde- John asked him why he committed the crimes, he replied, “I was in some problems.” Cpl Khalil Hosein and PC Brandon Solozano, of Fraud Squad laid the charges. Pooran was sentenced to four years imprisonment on each count but since the sentence was ordered to be served concurrently, actual prison time will be four years.

Pooran has other fraud-related matters pending in other jurisdictions and is expected to make several court appearances in the coming days