By PAVEL BAILEY
Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A 29-year-old man burst into tears after he was sentenced to one year in prison yesterday after admitting to using forged criminal records to fraudulently obtain a verified tourism vendor identification card.
Alando Williams was arraigned before Assistant Chief Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans on five fraud-related charges, including attempted fraud by false pretences, two counts of possession of a forged document, and two counts of uttering a forged document.
His co-accused, 23-year-old Aljahrez Brennen, was charged with abetment to fraud by false pretences.
Williams allegedly presented two forged police certificates dated April 11 and May 11 to Quinta Dean, project manager at the Downtown Revitalisation Unit, to secure the tourism vendor ID card on April 15. Police reportedly found him in possession of the same forged certificates on April 16 after the matter was reported. Between April 10 and 15, Brennen allegedly helped Williams execute the fraud scheme.
Williams pleaded guilty to all charges and broke down in tears as he was sentenced to one year in prison. Brennen pleaded not guilty.
Assistant Superintendent of Police S Coakley, the prosecutor, said Williams had prior convictions and was a suspect in an ongoing kidnapping case. Prosecutors allege that on April 14 2023, Williams, along with others, kidnapped and injured Charles Bethel and threatened to kill him.
ASP Coakley argued Williams’s latest offence warranted a custodial sentence and objected to bail for Brennen. Brennen’s bail was set at $7,000 with one or two sureties. He must sign in weekly at Nassau Street Police Station by 6pm on Wednesdays and will be fitted with an electronic monitoring device.
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