–  exposes Burke for using GNN platform for defamation, extortion scheme against Guyanese businessman

THE main witness in the ongoing trial of a major extortion conspiracy case has directly implicated wanted U.S.-based Guyanese Rickford Burke, not only for allegedly being part of the conspiracy but also as the owner of the Guyana News Network (GNN)—a platform notorious for publishing defamatory articles targeting opponents of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC).
This is according to a release from the Guyana Police Force, which, on Friday, provided updates on the case involving media workers Marlon Gary Eleazar and Alex Wayne, as well as businessman Dorwin Bess, who are before the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court for two counts of Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.

However, Burke, who resides in the United States and is wanted also wanted in Guyana for offences under various acts, including the Racial Hostility Act, Cyber Crime Act, was notably absent from court proceedings and currently has an arrest warrant out.
The charges suggest that Burke conspired with Bess and Eleazar to extort money from Afras Mohamed by leveraging defamatory articles published on the GNN website.
During the trial on June 20, 2024, the court heard testimony from Alex Wayne, a former co-accused who has since become the state’s key witness in exchange for the charges being dropped.
According to the police, Wayne told the court that he once lived and worked for Bess. He knows Eleazar because they once worked together at Kaieteur News.
Wayne described how Bess introduced him to Burke through a WhatsApp call, during which Burke identified himself and was recognised by his voice—a voice Wayne had become familiar with from GNN broadcasts.
This connection was allegedly solidified when Bess revealed to Wayne that Burke was not just an ally but a former business partner and a “very good friend.”
“Wayne further stated that Burke is the owner of the GNN website, and he knows this because Bess told him so. This witness went on to state that in August 2022, he was working for Bess, and they were having a conversation during which Bess told him that he had instructed his right-hand business partner to receive $90 million in payment for fuel from Mohamed,” the release detailed.
Wayne stated that in August 2022, Bess instructed him to contact Mohamed, posing as a GNN reporter, and to relay that an article accusing Mohamed of defrauding the government through tax evasion linked to vehicle imports was about to be published.
The intent, according to Wayne, was to coerce Mohamed into paying to suppress the damaging content.

THE EXTORTION SCHEME UNFOLDS
Wayne detailed the intricacies of the plan, highlighting Bess’s pivotal role in orchestrating the extortion. He recounted how Bess directed him to approach Mohamed with the false accusation and subsequently sent the inflammatory article to Wayne’s phone.
Following Bess’s instructions, Wayne contacted Mohamed, informed him of the pending publication, and even provided guidance on how to respond to the article.
In a further twist, Wayne disclosed that Bess had called him later in August 2022 to inform him that the defamatory article had indeed been published on the GNN website.
Bess then sent Wayne a second article alleging similar fraudulent activities by BM Soat and Global Petroleum Inc., which was also forwarded to Mohamed as part of the extortion pressure.
The conspiracy’s execution involved not just threats but direct attempts to extract money. Wayne admitted to accepting $40,000 from Mohamed as a down payment to have the article removed from GNN’s website.
He also testified about a meeting with Mohamed during September 2022, where Eleazar attempted to log into the GNN site to remove the article in exchange for a further payment of $150,000.
This attempt, however, failed due to technical difficulties in accessing the website, leaving Eleazar to promise to remove the content later.

“Wayne added that he then asked Eleazar for ten thousand dollars ($10,000) from the fifty thousand dollars he collected from Mohamed because that was his cut for removing the article that was posted on the GNN website and to prevent the other article from being published,” the release said.
According to the police, Wayne told the court that the extortion was a “threefold plan” initiated by Bess.
Wayne’s testimony paints a picture of a calculated scheme, with each participant playing a specific role under Bess’s direction.
Eleazar’s role as the writer of the defamatory article and Burke’s as the publisher on his GNN platform were critical in executing the plan. Wayne, as the intermediary, was tasked with directly pressuring Mohamed and collecting the extorted funds.
The trial is currently ongoing before Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore.
Bess is being represented by Attorneys Dexter Todd and Dawn Cush, while Eleazar, initially represented by Nigel Hughes and Associates, is now also under the legal care of Dexter Todd.
The prosecution, led by Police Legal Adviser, Mandel Moore, has so far relied heavily on Wayne’s testimony to build its case.
The case is adjourned until September 13, 2024.