THE Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), on Friday, presented a nursing assistant with an additional 15 charges of fraud for allegedly operating a pyramid scheme. Keziah Jeuel Roberts, 32, of Eping and Ituni Avenues, Bel Air Park, appeared twice at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Friday, where the charges of obtaining money by false pretence were read to her. She appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly and pleaded not guilty to 13 of the charges and was placed $350,000 bail. Later in the day, she appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennon and pleaded not guilty to two of the charges and was placed on $100,000 bail. Roberts had registered a business under the name of “Kapital Kare Investment” and posted a business flyer on her Facebook page, enticing persons to invest in her business.

Persons were asked to invest the sum of $40,000 to receive an extraordinary return of $180,000 within 21 days of their investment. However, several persons invested varying sums of monies in the venture but never received anything in return, as promised. The matters were reported to SOCU and an investigation was launched into the matter, during which several persons submitted written statements of being defrauded by Roberts. Subsequently, a wanted bulletin was issued for Roberts, who surrendered herself to the police. In addition to the 15 charges that were read to Roberts on Friday, on April 16, 2021, she was charged with a total of four counts of fraud and released on $180,000 bail. Investigations are currently ongoing and more charges are likely to be instituted.