A FORMER Citizens Bank loans officer accused of swindling a customer of $3M was on Thursday sentenced to 18 months imprisonment by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Kester Harvey, 39, of Herstelling, East Bank Demerara was found guilty of being entrusted by Pat Isaacs with $3M between October 1, 2016 and October 31, 2016 to deposit same into Isaacs’ Citizens Bank account, when he fraudulently converted the money to his own use and benefit.

According to the facts, Harvey was the Bank’s loans officer attached to Isaacs. During the month of October, 2016 Isaacs had allegedly given Harvey a total of $3M to be deposited into his account to pay his bank loan.

However Harvey subsequently resigned from the Bank and that’s when Isaacs discovered that the money had not been deposited into his account to pay his loan.

The Chief Magistrate in a review of the evidence presented in court during the trial explained to Harvey that she had found him guilty of the offence.

Harvey broke down in tears as he explained to the Chief Magistrate that the case had wrecked him and his family life.

“I stand before this court as an innocent man and from the inception if I had taken this man’s money I would have repaid him,” Kester told the court.

The man begged the court for leniency since he would not have committed such a criminal act to risk him not being around and being in the lives of his three minor children.

The Chief Magistrate imposed the minimal sentence of 18 months on Harvey and explained to him that it was dishonest of him for taking Isaacs’ money.