AN East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, woman was on Tuesday fined a total of $200, 000 on two fraud related offences after she made a false claim on an affidavit to gain her dead mother’s property.
Maxine Baird Sampson, 44, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and pleaded guilty to the two charges and was fined $100,000 on each charge or in default serve nine months of imprisonment.

Particulars of the first charge alleged that on October 23, 2004 at Georgetown, she took a false Oath of Affidavit in a letter of administration for the Estate of Linnett Duncan stating that Duncan had one child, knowing same to be false and intended for the letter of administration to be granted to her.
It is further alleged that on May 10, 2005 at Georgetown, Sampson took a false oath of affidavit in a letter of administration requesting title of the estate by falsely claiming that Linnett Duncan had one child and she was the sole beneficiary of the estate, knowing same to be false.

Police prosecutor, Inspector Arwin Moore told the court that Sampson is the daughter of the late, Linnett Duncan and on October 23, 2004, the accused visited Commissioner of Oaths to Affidavits, Michael Wright and swore that she is the only child of Linnett Duncan who is deceased.
Sampson reportedly applied for an estate tile of the plot of land along the East Coast of Demerara which was later granted by the Deeds Registry in 2005. In 2005, Sampson reportedly went back to the said Commissioner of Oaths to Affidavits and swore to the title of administration to sell the property. The land was reportedly sold for $1.4M.

The prosecutor explained that Sampson’s brother reported the matter to the police when he learned that his sister sold the property and made the false claims. The unrepresented woman told the court that her other siblings were in the United States and she was the left in Guyana to take care of two properties which belonged to her mother.
Sampson broke down in tears as she explained that she was burdened with bills for the two homes and did not receive any assistance from the other siblings. She said she had to continue paying a mortgage for one of the houses after her mother died.

“I tried to sell it and was advised that the only way is if I said that I was the only child,” the tearful woman said. She pointed out that she received $1.4M for the home and payed $1M to the mortgage and used the remainder of the money to fix the fence of the other home.